The Beginning of the End
by Celtic Guardian 7
Summary: Almost all of mankind is dead. A group of companions, all with their own horrifying pasts, are out to find out who-or what-was the cause of the world's mass drop in human population.
1. Confused and Alone

Yes, another fic. Now before you all start trying to kill me, I'll explain. I'm still writing Teknisk Wereld, and I'm not about to stop for any reason. I will be alternating between this fic and Teknisk Wereld. The humor fic will be updated whenever I feel like it, and the novelization is going to wait until I finish the game.

Now that that's out of the way, small introduction to those new to my fics. I'm a big fan of the Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game, and like to write stories on it. Not the Anime-the characters from there will NEVER appear in my fics until further notice-but with the card game, this can only be called a Yu-Gi-Oh fic. I also tend to be a fan of the Japanese names. Only know the American ones? No big deal-the characters will often explain what the card does.

Not much else is needed to be said, so let's begin!

***Prologue***

It was 5:32 AM on April 28, 2080 when the mayor heard a knock at his door. With sigh of irritation, he got up. It tired him, having to get up early and sleep little, but he didn't have much choice with all of these papers to deal with. 

He walked over to the door and opened it. Standing in front of him, panting, was a young man. His short hair was blonde, and he had brown eyes. He wore a casual brown shirt and blue jeans under a lab coat. The mayor instantly recognized him as the scientist's assistant.

"Yes? What's the problem?"

"It's the boss! He's dead!"

"What?! How?!"

"Come with me; it'll be easier to explain."

They rushed to the edge of town, and to the secret trap door. The lab assistant pulled it up and they proceeded down the metal staircase. At the end of the short trip, there was a metal door. The lab assistant took out a key card and slipped it into the slot beside the door. With a small click, the door opened.

The mayor had been in this room before, and not much had changed. There were still several test tubes, tools, needles, scalpels, liquids, bottles, and more. The operating table was metal as well, with clasps to hold down the victims of experiments.

What instantly caught the mayor's attention was one of the few new things in the lab. There was a glass case, with a boy sleeping inside it. But he didn't have time to deal with it; he walked over to the desk. On it were several scattered papers, folders, and a computer, still on.  A microscope was hooked to it, with blood on it. A small test tube held a little more blood, but not too much; just enough to get information on the boy's DNA, the mayor guessed.

And slumped over the desk was the scientist. His short brown hair did not conceal the look of horror on his face. His brown eyes were still open with shock.

The mayor quickly looked over him. His gray shirt, brown jeans, and lab coat were unstained. It was unapparent what had caused his death.

"Alright, enough guessing games. What do you think?" the mayor asked.

The assistant beckoned to his former boss' body. "I think it might have been a heart attack. It's the only thing I can think of. It certainly wasn't poisoning; he hasn't eaten or drank anything lately. Even when he does, he's a cautious type, preferring to make his own food and such. But I don't understand why he had a heart attack… he's much too young to have one!"

The mayor looked at the dead scientist's face grimly. "Maybe… he died of terror."

"Absurd! I can't think of any reason for that to occur! He had nothing to fear!"

The mayor turned his gaze to the computer screen. An error sign was on the otherwise black screen:

**ERROR: Data overload. All systems turned off. Files inaccessible until reloading. Main microscope detached; after reload, will take 18 hours, 45 minutes, and 12 seconds to be usable. Forced shut down is already done. Reload?**

There were two buttons. One said yes, the other said no.

"We will never know…" the mayor sighed. "I'll call the hospital, to see if a doctor can reinforce our theories. You need to get him out of here; nobody must know of this location." The mayor pressed the no button, and the computer was shut off.

"What about the boy?" the lab assistant asked, indicating to the sleeping teenager.

"We can't have any more suspicions. As long as he stays here, we won't have to worry. Will he wake up?"

"No. As long as those needles stay within him-and believe me, they will-then he will remain unconscious."

"Good. I would prefer not to be a cold blooded killer, so let's leave him here." The mayor opened the door. "It is better for us… and maybe him."

*****

The mayor shook his head.

_Why can't I take my mind off of that scientist's death? It's been two, nearly three days, yet I'm still disturbed._

The doctor had agreed that it was probably a heart attack, but was just as puzzled as to how it happened. The mayor was wondering if it had something to do with the computer, but did not go to check. Was it fright that held him, to see what had killed the scientist?

He looked up at the town clock, outside of his window, to take his mind off of it. He was just in time to see it become twelve o' clock, PM. Midnight.

The time where the entire world would change.

*****

A small sparrow landed on lamp post. It viewed the scene with a keen eye. Once it decided the area was safe, it flew down.

The morning sun was bathed upon a figure. The sparrow wanted to check it. It landed, and cautiously pecked the black material that littered the ground.

It was ashes. The ashes of a human, one who had been lucky to even have this much remaining of him. The ashes of most other people had been burned too, leaving no evidence.

It was early morning. Yet few would be alive to see the beautiful sunrise anywhere in the world.

***Chapter 1: Confused and Alone***

Darkness everywhere. It was a world of nothingness. Not even dreams came to this place. All he knew was the area of nothingness, and didn't even think of it.

But then, he heard something. A rapid sound… something so familiar, yet he couldn't place it…

_My heart.___

And with that thought, he grew aware of how he felt.

His body was sore everywhere, completely dry. Blood was starting to run through his veins again though. He had never known what cold was until now. His body felt frozen to the touch. His head ached as well, and he was dimly aware of the hard metal surface he was on.

After a few minutes, he attempted to open his eyes, only to shut them immediately. Tears of pain threatened to flow, for even the dim light of the laboratory burned his eyes. If it had been any more lit up than the non-bright lights, he felt as though he would have gone blind.

At long last, he tried again. This time he was able to keep them open, although his eyes watered at the effort.

He moved his arm up, to view his left hand. Into the flesh of the back of his hand, a needle was buried, attached with a clasp of sorts. He looked at his right hand, and found it to be in the same condition. He pulled them out, wincing as they left his skin. They were very small though, so no blood came from his hand. Only then did he view his surroundings.

He was on a metal table of some kind, backed up into a corner of a laboratory. Over this table, a clear, glass case blocked any way of getting out. He noticed several instruments, a desk, papers, a computer, and a microscope as well.

After examining the glass, he decided there was only one way out. Using all of his strength, he lunged at the glass wall beside him. It shattered, and although a few cuts were made from the glass, he got out swiftly enough to be hardly injured.

Even this simple move exhausted him. He lay on the floor, waiting until he finally felt well enough to stand without collapsing instantly.

What bothered him was he could remember nothing about himself. Who was he? Where had he come from? What had happened?

It might have been coincidence, it might have been intentional. Either way, he looked at his right palm, and hissed as he saw the red pentagram on it.

_Now I remember…_

FLASHBACK

_He was walking around the forest nearby town, just to pass the time. But now he knew his mother would probably be worrying. He didn't see why; being skilled with the sword, he could easily defend himself. But he didn't like to make her anxious, so he strode back towards his home._

_Then he heard a bush rustle. Turning instantly, he was still too slow to stop the scientist. The needle plunged into his arm, and as the liquid was injected, he began to feel weary._

_"Who…?"_

_"You need not worry," the scientist smirked. "This is just for the people, and your, own good."_

END FLASHBACK

"So I was asleep…" he murmured. "But for how long?"

As he approached the door, he saw something on the lab table. There was a pair of black gloves, and a sword, still in its sheath. He immediately picked them up, recognizing them as his own. Glad that they were still there, he slid on the gloves and buckled on the sword.

He then opened the door, and climbed up the metal steps that were before him. When he reached a trap door, he cautiously pushed it up.

It was a bad decision. The sunlight was beaming down, and his eyes still weren't adjusted. He shut them instantly, and lay on the ground, waiting until he was able to see.

The forest around seemed different. He recognized one tree; it seemed a little taller than the last time he had looked. Shrugging it off, he walked towards town.

When he arrived, he moved carefully, hoping nobody would see him. After making his way into the streets though, he knew something was wrong.

There was nobody there. The streets were abandoned; at this time of the day, surely there would be some people out.

He looked up at the clock, which said twelve o' clock. He then looked at the position of the sun, wincing as the rays contacted his eyes.

The clock was broken. There was no way it could be twelve; it was just too early in the morning.

Worries clouding his thoughts, he ran towards his house. The door was open; he let himself in.

"Mom! Mom, are you there?!"

Nobody answered his calls.

He went through all the rooms, only to find nothing. He went back downstairs, and into the kitchen. There was a note written beside it.

_Gone on walk, be back soon._

It was the note he had written for his mother that day he had been put to sleep. But now it seemed much older; a delicate thing, it tore easily as he picked it up.

"How much have I missed?"

He looked over at the calendar. It was on April of 2080.

"…Did something happen that same month? Something to make all of us flee? I've been asleep much longer than a few days!"

He then thought of a better way to tell. He ran up to his mother's room, where a mirror was, and looked at himself. He was too surprised to even gasp.

The same black, long sleeved shirt, and black pants were there. He still had his black shoes, and now wore the black gloves to conceal his hands. His deep blue eyes were unchanged, still hard and narrow. It was the sight of his hair that made him shocked. His black hair, normally short and neat, now fell beyond his shoulders, snarled and tangled.

The sight of him would probably cause disgust to anyone. Although he was very concerned, he couldn't see what else to do, and submitted to the idea of showering.

After accomplishing that task, he was looking though the house again, looking over all details. There were no clues as to what happened, and he soon gave up.

Annoyed with the hair that kept falling into his eyes, he put on a black headband, causing his bangs to be kept out of the way. After that, he had drawn a conclusion. There was nothing here that could help him. To find information, he would have to leave.

He went up to his room, and looked for anything of importance. He immediately grabbed his Duel Disk, and Duel Monsters deck. Technology had advanced, and the holograms the Duel Disk generated made the game much more enjoyable.

In this time period, Duel Monsters was a way of life. It was usually played for fun, but once in a while an argument would come up, in which a duel would take place to solve it. By inserting certain cards that weren't in his deck, the Duel Disk could generate temporary effects sometimes. 

He had nothing else that interested him much, so he strapped on the Duel Disk and inserted his deck. Then he went to his mother's room again.

Lying on the dresser was her wedding ring. It was a gold band with a symbol inscribed on it. When he had asked what it meant, she had smiled secretively and said, "You'll know when the time is right."

He didn't wear jewelry often, if at all, but this held importance to him. It was something his mother never took off, except to sleep, and he felt comforted by that. He slipped it into his pocket.

After that, he went downstairs again, leaving the house. After shutting the door, he swiftly left the town, casting one last look at the buildings before entering the forest.

_I am not sure what has occurred, but I must find out._

*****

Some time later, he was still wandering through the woods. Several things had grown since the last time he had been here, and he often made wrong turns. However, he was able to navigate well enough.

As he walked into a small clearing, he suddenly heard a snarl that penetrated the silence. Reaching to his sword instinctively, he waited to see what would happen.

 A rabbit burst out of the bush, running as fast as it could, eyes wide in terror. Pursuing it was a dog-like creature. It went up to his knee in size, but if it stood on its rear paws, he was willing to bet that the animal would go up to his shoulders. Its fur was black, and its eyes an eerie yellow.

In a few powerful leaps, it was on the rabbit, sinking its teeth into the small animal. A snap was heard, and he knew the neck was broken. The dog-like creature looked up at the teen, blood flowing from the rabbit.

It didn't look like it would attack, but he was still wary, keeping his hand on his weapon. Then he heard some rustling, and a girl came from out of the woods.

She wore a sky blue short-sleeved shirt and brown pants. Her white shoes were quite casual. Over her back was a quiver, filled with arrows, and a bow. On her left arm was a Duel Disk. Her light brown hair went a little below her shoulders, and was done back in a ponytail.

Her eyes were startling though. They were a piercing yellow. Yet even though this was strange, he felt as though she meant no harm.

"So he's who you're concerned with?" she asked the dog-like animal.

_Does she expect it to talk back or something? _he thought.

"Yeah, it is strange…" She gave him a bright smile. "Hi! Sorry to ignore you like that. I hope Gaignun didn't frighten you."

"Gaignun?"

"Yep. That's my wolf friend's name."

_A wolf?!___

"We were just hunting, nothing too serious. But it's odd that someone else would be here."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing… no need to bring that up again. So, you from around here?"

_What does she mean? _"Yeah."

"Strange… I thought the town nearby was deserted. Oh well, no need to be picky. I'm called Hope. You?"

"Daine."

"Interesting name. Well, it was nice talking to you, but we need to get back to hunting." She offered her hand, and Daine shook it out of politeness.

As their right hands contacted though, the girl's eyes grew wide.

"What was that?!"

Daine managed to refrain from swearing. He had forgotten why he hated meeting new people, and this was the reason.

"Nothing. I also have to go." He turned to leave, only to find his path being blocked by Gaignun. The wolf growled at him.

"So peculiar…" Hope looked at her hand thoughtfully. "Alright, I guess there's only one way to settle this."

"What do you mean?" Daine demanded.

"I want to find out more about you, but you obviously aren't about to tell. I need to know though… so let's duel. If I win, you explain everything. If you're the victor, we'll part ways."

Daine cast his eyes over the growling wolf. He could try to cut through the beast and make a run for it, but the odds were stacked against him. The girl seemed to be an archer, something not to be taken lightly for someone who was only good at close-range battles.

"Fine. Let's get started."

To be continued…


	2. Companions

These first few chapters might be a little slow, but it'll get more advanced soon.

LunaticChaos: Thank you. Yes, I like the name Hope. I'm not good coming up with female names. =/

Zander: Thanks, I'll try my best.

**Chapter 2: Companions**

"So how good are you?" Hope asked. Gaignun had returned to her side.

Daine shrugged. "Good enough. But I haven't practiced for a while yet."

"Do you know about the Deck Master rule?"

"Yes. You pick one monster, which affects the whole duel one way or another."

"That's right! So I'll pick Fenrir!"

A white wolf with glowing blood-red eyes appeared on Hope's right. It gave a low snarl.

"I'll choose Retrained Elven Swordsman."

The warrior came up to his right side as well. Just seeing the calm monster made Daine feel a little more confident.

Daine: 8000

Hope: 8000

"So, who first?" Hope wondered.

"You can."

"Alright then. I summon Cat Ear Tribe in attack mode! (200/100) Then I lay one card down."

Daine gave the three cute kittens a look of disbelief. "Those things are pathetic."

"Hey! Well, ok, so they are. But they're really cute too!"

"…Right. First I'll play Cyclone on your face down card."

"Ack, so much for Magic Cylinder."

"So you were trying to lure me into attacking? Pretty poor strategy without a way to protect your trap. I summon Blade Knight and attack your Tribe. (1600/1000)"

Hope smiled mischievously. "Yes, I was trying to lure you, in two different ways. I might not be able to stop the attack, but my Tribe's effect activates! Your monster's attack decreases to 200! (200/1000)"

"So both are dead…"

"Not so pathetic now, are they?"

"I'm sure," he said dryly. "I lay one card down, and end."

"Now we'll see how things turn out. I summon Berserk Gorilla! (2000/1000)"

"You're going to risk an attack?"

"Berserk Gorilla forces me to attack with him every turn if possible, so I have no choice but to attack."

"Since you attacked, I can counter with Reactive Armor. Your Gorilla is destroyed."

"Well shoot. I'll lay one other card and end."

"I summon Executioner Makyura. (1600/1200) He attacks directly."

"I'll counter that with Emissary of Harmony, making your attack do no damage."

"Very well. It's your turn."

Hope grinned at her next draw. "I'll now play Early Burial! By paying 800 Life Points, I can bring back my Cat Ear Tribe!"

Daine: 8000

Hope: 7200

"What's the point of doing that?"

"So I can sacrifice it to bring out Manticore of Darkness! (2300/1000) My Manticore will attack Makyura."

The Manticore easily ripped the Makyura to shreds, only to be blown apart by a ring of grenades.

"What?! But you have no traps!"

"You obviously didn't know about my Makyura's special ability. On the turn he's destroyed, I can play trap cards from my hand. So I activated Destruction Ring, killing your Manticore and dealing us damage equal to its attack."

Daine: 5000

Hope: 4900

"Clever move, but not good enough. First of all, Fenrir's Deck Master ability kicks in. When one of my Animal or Animal Warriors destroys one of your monsters, you're forced to skip your next draw phase."

"So that's what you're using… an Animal and Animal Warrior deck?"

"That's right. Now, on my end phase, my Manticore's ability activates. By discarding an Animal, Animal Warrior, or Bird Sub-Type from my hand or field, he is special summoned to my field. So I discard Millennium Neanderthal to do so."

"And I'm blocked from drawing… I summon Gestufuuma. (1700/1200) Then I equip her with The Fusion Weapon, Murasame Blade. This raises her attack by 800. (2500/1200) Now she attacks your Manticore! Then I'm done."

Daine: 5000

Hope: 4700

Hope looked at her next card. "Nice duel, but this has got to be game."

"What makes you say that?"

"I play Raise Dead on Millennium Neanderthal. (2750/2500) He attacks your monster."

"I'll activate my Deck Master's, the Retrained Elven Swordsman's, special ability. I choose one Warrior Sub-Type. For this turn, that monster cannot be destroyed by a monster with 1900 attack or greater. But I still take battle damage."

Daine: 4750

Hope: 4700

"Rats. Oh well, I'll just lay a card down and end."

"I summon Initiate Troops. (1000/1000)"

"Those guys? I've heard of what they do, and I can't allow it. I activate Tidal Wave, destroying all monsters on the field. And with both of us card-less, it's a luck of the draw."

"…End."

"Alright, I got a good one! I'll play Mad Dog of Darkness! (1900/1400) He attacks directly!"

Daine: 2850

Hope: 4700

"I draw… and pass… my Warrior of the Sun won't help right now, since it requires a sacrifice."

"True… yes! I summon Blood Vors! (1900/1200) They both attack!"

Daine: 0

Hope: 4700

Daine shut off his Duel Disk, disgusted at himself. "Well played."

"Thank you," she smiled as her monsters vanished. "Now remember our deal. I want you to explain what is affecting you."

Daine sighed. "Very well." He took off the glove over his right hand and showed the pentagram to Hope.

"Oh lord…" She examined it carefully. "How did this happen?"

Gaignun was growling viciously at Daine. Trying to ignore the wolf, he replied, "I've had it since birth." Then he slipped the glove back on.

"I see… well, that's very interesting. If you don't mind, I think I'd like to come with you and see how things turn out."

"What?" This was the opposite reaction that he had expected. Most people, after seeing that mark, wanted to get away as fast as they could.

"There's just something about you that makes me wonder… so can I?"

Normally, Daine would have refused. But he was quite lost, and needed someone to help him around this new territory.

"Very well."

"Excellent. Anywhere in particular you need to go?"

"I have several questions for you. That's all I know."

"Let's get to another town first. That way, we can be under shelter." She reached into the bushes and pulled out a knapsack, putting the dead rabbit into there. "We've done enough hunting for today, so we can relax once getting there."

"Sounds good," Daine agreed.

-----

"Well, here we are!" Hope announced as they left the forest, going onto flatter grounds.

The town nearby looked just as deserted as Daine's hometown. This did not seem to worry Hope though, and she walked in without hesitation. He followed her.

"Where are the people?" Daine asked.

Hope stopped abruptly. "You're kidding, right?"

"No…"

She looked amazed. "Is this what you meant by questions? Let's get into a building or house, and then we can talk."

"Right."

Gaignun growled softly. Hope gave him a sideways glance, and he stopped.

They were turning a corner, walking down the street, when they heard a roar. As they came into the center of the road, they saw the cause far too late.

It was a motorcycle, and it was going way beyond any speed limits Daine had seen. They froze at the sight of the vehicle.

The events occurred quickly. The driver swore violently before managing to get off the road just in time, crashing into a nearby building. The motorcycle exploded, and its occupants were thrown off.

The one who was driving the motorcycle looked to be in his twenties. He wore an outfit that was mainly black. The area covering his shoulders was silver though, and seemingly metal. Beside the metal area, it was red, and seemed to be a shoulder guard of some sort. His right arm seemed normal enough, and had a Duel Disk on it, but his left arm had a strange device on it. It appeared to be an oval piece of metal, and in the center of it was an orange material of some sort. His short hair was a reddish-brown, and his blue eyes were quite light. Over his back, a huge blue sword was strapped.

The other person on for the ride was a young woman. She wore an orange, metallic dress, with a blue shirt and black shorts underneath. Her red hair was tied back into pigtails by means of two braids of metal. Her eyes were a deep blue, but what was creepy was that there were no pupils in them. Her Duel Disk was on her left arm.

The man got up, muttering some quiet oaths. But he seemed unharmed. The woman seemed to have no problems either.

"Oh gosh! We're so sorry!" Hope apologized. "Are you all alright?"

"I think so…" the woman answered.

"I'm fine, but our vehicle isn't!" the man growled, pointing at the few pieces of metal that were left. "You do know that motorcycles are NOT easy to come by, right?"

"We were careless. It's our fault. We're really, really sorry," Hope tried to comfort the angry rider.

"You're not getting off the hook that easily!"

"Well, what do you expect us to do? We were just passing by! I thought this town would be deserted!"

"We thought the same, but it obviously isn't. And what do I expect you to do? Getting me a new motorcycle would probably make up for it!"

"Are you serious? We don't even have that much money!" Hope protested.

"Your loss."

"But it wasn't even completely our fault…" Hope sighed, rubbing her forehead. "This is just one big headache. How about this? I noticed you have a Duel Disk. Let's duel, and if you win, I'll pay back for the motorcycle. If I win, you leave us alone."

"Either way, I benefit. If this is the way we choose to solve the problem, so be it!"

"We don't even know who you guys are," Hope pointed out.

The woman had gotten up by now. "I'm Karen, he's Yamato. You?"

"I'm Hope, he's Daine, and the wolf's name is Gaignun."

Gaignun snarled at the two newcomers. Daine was trying to figure out what was happening; things were going far too quickly for him to follow easily.

"A wolf? Interesting…" Karen commented.

"Yeah, he is. So who do you choose as a Deck Master, Yamato? I'm going to have Fenrir be mine."

In response, a creature that resembled a cross between a human and a dog appeared. It wore an Egyptian-style outfit, colored light and dark blue, with a headdress, cape, robe, and gloves. It also held golden katars.

"Jackal Paladin," was Yamato's reply.

"Alright then."

Hope: 8000

Yamato: 8000

"Who first?" Hope asked.

"I will. I lay one monster in defense mode, and three cards down. Your turn."

"So many traps first turn? Let's wipe them out! I'll play Tempest, destroying all of your magic and trap cards! It would also destroy all of mine, but I have none, so that's no problem."

"I'm not as careless as you think. I activate Judgment of Anubis, a counter trap that can only be used when you activate a magic card that has the potential of destroying other magics or traps. By discarding one card from my hand-in this case, End of Anubis-your magic card is negated and destroyed."

"Dang it. Oh well. I summon Ninja Wonder Dog. (1800/1000) He attacks your monster!"

"Activate Traveler's Riddle in response," Yamato announced.

"What does that do?"

"When you declare an attack, you choose one card from my hand and guess whether it is a monster, magic, or trap card. If you are right, the attack goes through. If you are wrong, the attacking monster is sent back to your hand. I only have one card in my hand, so guess what it is."

"Um… monster?"

"Wrong. It's a magic card, Raise Dead. Your Ninja Wonder Dog is gone."

"Fine. I lay two cards down and end my turn."

"I will flip summon Locust Soldiers. (1000/500) When this monster is flip summoned, one of your magic or trap cards is destroyed. So destroy the one to my left."

"My Magic Jammer is gone…"

"Excellent. Using my Locust's other effect, I flip them back face down. Now I play Raise Dead on End of Anubis. (2500/0) Attack directly."

"Activate Magic Cylinder! Your attack is negated, and you take Life Point damage equal to the attack!"

Hope: 8000

Yamato: 5500

"Irritating. I end."

"I'll summon Ninja Wonder Dog again. He attacks your Locusts! And as for the card in your hand… I guess monster again!"

"You're correct. It's my Regenerating Mummy. Your attack goes through."

"Good. Now I'll have Fenrir's Deck Master ability activate. When one of my Animal or Animal Warriors destroys one of your monsters, you are forced to skip your next draw phase. Then I end my turn."

"So I cannot draw? It is of no concern. I summon Regenerating Mummy. (1800/1500) End of Anubis destroys your Ninja Wonder Dog, and my Mummy attacks directly."

Hope: 5500

Yamato: 5500

"Also, my Jackal Paladin's Deck Master ability can be made of use now. By discarding the top card from my deck… it was my Book of the Sun… a monster I destroy is sent back to the top of your deck."

"So if I keep playing Ninja Wonder Dog, I'll just keep getting him back…"

"Exactly. It's your move."

_It's funny that both of our Deck Masters have such a similar effect… unfortunately, he has the advantage right now. _

"What kind of whacked out theme are you playing?" Hope asked. "It seems so random."

"Simple-it's an Ancient Egyptian theme."

"Oh. No wonder I wasn't able to figure it out. Anyway, I summon Berserk Gorilla! (2000/1000) Then I play Wild Burst! This takes his defense and adds the same amount to his attack. Don't understand? Well, my Gorilla has 1000 defense, and his attack is 2000. Add the two together, and you get 3000. (3000/1000) Berserk Gorilla attacks End of Anubis! And I don't have to worry about your Traveler's Riddle, since you have no cards in your hand!"

Hope: 5500

Yamato: 5000

"And because of Fenrir's Deck Master ability, you're forced to skip your draw phase. When I end my turn, my Berserk Gorilla is destroyed, due to negative effects of Wild Burst."

"All I can do is attack with Regenerating Mummy. Then I end."

Hope: 3700

Yamato: 5000

"Alright… I summon Mad Dog of Darkness! (1900/1400)"

"I activate my trap card, Tidal Wave. That destroys all of our monsters."

"Rats. I lay one card down and end."

"I lay one monster in defense, and end my turn."

"I'll summon Ninja Wonder Dog yet again and attack!"

"You've run into my Poison Mummy. (1000/1800) When flip summoned, you lose 500 Life Points."

Hope: 3200

Yamato: 5000

"Then I'm done."

"I pass."

"My turn… I'll summon another Mad Dog of Darkness and attack! As for your Traveler's Riddle… guessing… magic."

"It's actually my Swarm of Scarab Beetles. (500/1000) So your Mad Dog is sent away."

"That's all I can do."

"This will work well. I sacrifice Poison Mummy to lay one monster in defense mode."

"I'll summon my Mad Dog again. He attacks your new monster."

"It's my Guardian Sphinx. (1700/2400)"

Hope: 2700

Yamato: 5000

"If that is all, I'll take my turn. I play my own Tempest, destroying my Traveler's Riddle and whatever you have."

"I chain it… Emissary of Harmony."

"It doesn't matter. I'll use Guardian Sphinx's effect to flip it back to face down defense mode and end."

"This isn't too good… I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"Then that is game," Yamato told her.

"What?"

"I flip summon Guardian Sphinx. When I flip summon it, it sends all of your monsters back to your hand."

"…I'm dead."

"Yep. I'll summon Royal Bodyguards. (1600/1700) Guardian Sphinx attacks, and then Royal Bodyguards finishes you off."

Hope: 0

Yamato: 5000

"Darn it. Where am I going to get the money to pay for a new motorcycle?" Hope wondered.

"That's your problem," Yamato replied. "When will you be ready to pay up?"

"I'm not sure… it depends how quickly I can get money," Hope answered.

Karen had been listening to the whole conversation. "How about this? We'll hang around with you guys until you hold to your deal. Then we'll leave you to get back to what we were doing."

"That works," Hope agreed. "What do you think Daine?"

He shrugged. "I guess I don't mind."

Karen looked at his Duel Disk with interest. "You're a duelist too?"

"Yes."

"How about some free play, to test your strength? I made some modifications to my deck, and I'm eager to test them."

"Very well." _That ridiculous loss I had today has made me aware that I need more practice. I've waited too long to play._

"My Deck Master will be Kaiser Seahorse," Karen announced. The purple sea monster appeared immediately.

"And I choose the Retrained Elven Swordsman."

Daine: 8000

Karen: 8000

"You know the saying; ladies first!" Karen joked. "I summon X Head Cannon, (1800/1500) and lay two cards down. It's your turn."

Daine didn't seem highly impressed. "I summon Goblin Strike Team. (2300/0) They attack your X Head Cannon."

"I activate Sub-Space Matter Transportation Device! This removes my X Head Cannon until the end of the turn."

"Why do that? Now you're going to be hit directly."

"I have my reasons."

Daine: 8000

Karen: 5700

"I'm sure. My Goblins switch to defense mode now, and are forced to stay in it until the turn after next turn. I lay one card down and end."

"My X Head Cannon is back on the field now. I sacrifice it to summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon! (3000/2500)"

"Whoa, wait a minute! I thought a Blue Eyes White Dragon would cost two sacrifices!"

"Normally, they do. But my Kaiser Seahorse takes care of that problem. Any Light Main-Type I play costs one less sacrifice than normal. Now I activate Destruction Ring on Goblin Strike Team, destroying them."

Daine: 5700

Karen: 3400

"My Blue Eyes attacks directly. Then I lay one more card. It's your move."

Daine: 2700

Karen: 3400

"I'll have to resort to a combination attack. I summon Troop Commander. (1200/400) His special effect allows me to special summon another level four or lower monster, so I summon Initiate Troops. (1000/1000) Now I activate their ability. By sacrificing them, your Blue Eyes White Dragon dies. Then I play Raise Dead on your Blue Eyes White Dragon. They both attack."

"Close, but not quite. I activate Attack Nullification, which negates your attack."

"Fine, I end."

Karen smirked. "Thanks for reviving my Blue Eyes. It'll make him much easier to make use of."

"What?"

"First, I play Jar of Greed. Then I summon Lamp Spirit Ra Djinn. (1800/1000) Then I activate Enemy Controller. By sacrificing my Ra Djinn, I get to take control of your-sorry, I mean my-Blue Eyes White Dragon."

"I'll counter with Magic Drain. This will negate your magic card, unless you discard another magic card from your hand."

"Alright then, I'll just discard Twilight Fusion."

"…Not good."

"Indeed. My Blue Eyes White Dragon attacks!"

"My Retrained Elven Swordsman's effect activates. You can't destroy one of my Warrior Sub-Type monsters with a monster with over 1900 attack, so Troop Commander is still alive. I still take Life Point damage though."

Daine: 900

Karen: 3400

"Finally, I activate Immense Dragon Wing Burst. By sending a level five or higher Dragon Sub-Type to my hand, it destroys all magic and trap cards on the field. So my Blue Eyes is back for good. Then I end."

Daine sighed in relief. "I play Calling Reinforcements. This allows me to get one level four or lower Warrior Sub-Type from my deck, so I grab Goblin Strike Team. Then I summon them. (2300/0) Both of my monsters attack."

Daine: 900

Karen: 0

"That was too close," Karen said. "You're not a bad player."

"Thanks."

"That's an interesting deck," Hope commented. "What's it supposed to be based on?"

"Well, a long time back, there was actually a show for this game. It was called Yu-Gi-Oh. There was one character on the show named Seto Kaiba. He was a pretty cool guy, and I liked his style of playing, so I imitated his deck the best I could."

"It must be an old show," Hope replied. "I've never even heard of it until now."

"Yeah, it is. Should we pick a building to stay in? It's not exactly the smartest thing to sit out here all day when we could be spotted."

"Good point." Hope indicated to a store with a sign that had fallen down. The door was slightly open. "Let's stop there."

To be continued…


	3. The Incident Explanation, Another Ally

This story is coming along well, and for that I'm glad.

LunaticChaos: Hey, I'm glad you like it. Kaiba's ok. Personally, I dislike theme decks, but there's not much of a problem with them. Shrugs

Zander: …You have a point… 

John: Should I be happy or insulted? 

**Chapter 3: The Incident Explanation, and Another Ally**

The building appeared to have once been a restaurant, which was all the better for them; there were plenty of seats. They sat down at one of the vacant tables, Daine and Hope on one side while Yamato and Karen made themselves comfortable on the other. Gaignun curled up beside Hope, underneath the table.

"So what are you doing around here?" Hope asked.

"Just passing through, since we aren't on a mission yet," Karen told her.

Hope looked confused. "Mission?"

Yamato sighed. "I'm a bounty hunter. Karen helps me."

"A what?!" Hope yelped, shocked. Daine was just as surprised, although he didn't show it.

"What about you?" Karen asked.

"I just try to get by living by hunting for food," Hope shrugged, getting over her surprise. "I don't really do any kinds of jobs, although I might have to now-how else will I get money for Yamato?"

"Damn straight," Yamato muttered.

Karen laughed at that. "What about you Daine?"

"I don't do much of anything."

"Why not?"

"Well… I was feared and despised in my village. So I couldn't get any jobs, even if I wanted to."

"Feared? Despised? Why on earth?" Karen inquired.

"Just… things…" Daine shook his head. He needed to know about what was happening, and he wouldn't get answers without telling the truth. "Fine, I'll show you." He pulled off his right glove again, showing the red pentagram. Karen gasped at the sight. Yamato didn't show any signs of amazement, but he did have a wary look in his eyes. Gaignun started growling again.

Daine quickly covered it again. "That's why. I was born with this thing, and everyone fears me for it. I dealt with it easily enough-just stayed out of their way. But a while back, everything changed. I was going out on a walk, when I was attacked. A scientist injected me with some form of a liquid that caused me to fall asleep. I've slept for… I don't know how long. Quite some time. And now I don't know what's going on."

"What do you mean?" Hope questioned.

"What happened to all of the people? It's like everyone has vanished. Even my own mother was gone when I came back to the village. Nobody was there… nobody…"

Karen was giving him a disbelieving look. "Tell me. What's the last date you can remember?"

"I was put to sleep on April 28th, 2080."

"My God!" Hope exclaimed. "You've been asleep… before the disaster… before I was even born…"

"What are you talking about?" Daine asked.

"Daine, it's the year 2100. You've been asleep for twenty years."

Daine couldn't speak, the shock was too great. Twenty years? He had expected quite some time, but twenty years?!

"How? How could I sleep that long?!"

"That puzzles me too," Hope admitted. "Considering that the scientist you are talking about should probably be dead now."

"What do you mean?"

"Come to think of it…" Karen said. "You did fall asleep only three days from the incident. Very interesting."

"I prefer not to be left in the dark," Daine stated dryly.

"I'll explain," Hope volunteered. "Alright. On midnight, just as it became May 1st, 2080, something incredible yet terrifying occurred. We call it 'the Beginning of the End' incident. For short, just the incident, or disaster, or maybe doomsday-whatever floats your boat. Anyway, we aren't even exactly sure of what happened. All we know was that most people, at that time exactly, were killed. How? Sole survivors say that the people were consumed by fire. At least, that's what scientists believe. But it was obviously not natural-I mean, not only did it SEEK OUT humans, but it left other animals untouched."

"Other?" Karen asked.

"Ack, sorry. I mean… it left animals untouched… and plants, trees, anything that wasn't human was spared."

"It was neatly done," Karen said in disgust. "Even the people's ashes were burned. There was nothing to stop this sudden attack."

"It was over as quickly as it came," Hope added. "Almost all of the human species was wiped out. Yet somehow, there were those that lived. We all have a different story on how we made it through. You were asleep-maybe while you were unconscious, whatever force was behind it thought you were dead already. I wasn't even born then, so I have no tale to tell really."

"Do we live in constant fear now?" Daine asked.

"At times. This incident opened our eyes to how vulnerable we truly are. Many remaining scientists are trying to figure a way to make barriers for the next time."

"How many were spared?"

"Our best guess is 1% of the population, if not lower. Maybe, if we're lucky, a little higher. But even 1% is a lot of humans, and we are starting to repopulate slowly, but surely."

Daine stared at the table in front of him. "So… all of the people I knew are now dead. Even my own mother."

"I'm sorry that you finally woke up, only to open your eyes to this," Hope said softly. "It's painful to be alone."

"Not for me. I've been that way for years." Daine turned his gaze to Yamato and Karen. "What about you two? Were you born before or after the incident?"

"Before," Yamato stated. "But I don't remember how I survived. I was only three. My parents were killed."

"It looks like none of us had a very good childhood," Hope murmured.

"True," Karen agreed. Her eyes betrayed that she seemed pained by something.

Daine saw the look. "I've told of my past, something I prefer not to do. I think I should get the privilege to hear all of yours."

"I don't have a past to tell," Yamato said simply. Daine sensed he was hiding something, but didn't pursue the matter.

Hope looked very uneasy. "My past? I… I don't remember it anyway."

Any thoughts Daine had of asking her more were halted when Gaignun put his teeth softly around his leg. It was a clear warning that if he persisted, he wouldn't be able to walk anytime soon.

"So what about you?" he asked Karen.

She also seemed uncomfortable. "It's something I don't really like to tell… it brings back bad memories."

Hope turned to her. "Does anyone know besides Yamato? Does he even know?"

"Yes, he does. And no, I've never told anyone else."

"Then it might help to tell us," Hope suggested. "I know it often helps me when I have a problem in my mind."

"Who do you talk to? Your wolf pal?" Karen asked.

"Laugh all you want, but yes, I do. Among other races. But enough on my life, what about yours?"

She was silent for a few minutes, gazing around uneasily. Her eyes shifted to Yamato. He shrugged.

"All right then. I'll explain what I've been through."

"I suppose the best place to start would be the after the incident. I was a fragile person before it, and after it, things only got worse. With many of the doctors dead, not many could perform the surgery I needed to live on. At long last, I found a surgeon who could do it. It was a hefty cost, but my father put himself into debt for it."

"The surgery replaced many of my organs, such as my heart, to be replaced with metal. To say I'm an android might not be far off, even though I'm technically human."

"But the main problem with this was my father. Like I said, to save my life brought him into great debt. He needed money, and desperately. So he sold me, to another man."

"What?! He would sell his own daughter as a slave?!" Hope exclaimed.

"Yes. It was a terrible life. This man wasn't kind, as you might have guessed." She broke off, and then continued, a little slowly. "The manual labor was almost too much for me to handle, and if I failed with it, harsh beatings were sure to come. I lived in constant fear of failure. Have you ever had your life placed in another's hands? It's a horrifying thing, one of the worst fates that could befall someone, in my opinion. He had complete control over me. He even forced me to… to… well… things I would rather… not relate. I think… the word 'sexual' is enough to relate it."

"Unforgivable," Hope growled.

"When I was about fifteen though, everything changed. My master had hired Yamato. When he came to first meet the man, he also saw me. He didn't say anything at the time, and I really didn't know what to think of him. When he came back after completing the mission…" She trailed off.

"To put it bluntly, he didn't want to pay," Yamato said shortly. "He had other ideas, ones that relate to what other petty men would prefer to do. Something that has to do with women."

"Please, no details," Hope groaned. She looked sick enough already, so Yamato let it slide.

"If there's one word that defines Yamato, it's honorable," Karen explained. "He killed my master and let me stay with him. I had nowhere else to go-why return to my father? Yamato had saved me, and that alone made me feel safe. So I came with him, and helped him with his missions. That's all I really have to say."

Hope smiled at her reassuringly. "It sounds like one of the worst lives you could live. But it's over, and you're safe. So you don't have to fear it anymore. The past cannot harm you, as long as the one responsible is already gone."

"But he isn't," Karen replied softly.

"He isn't about to find you, right?" Hope got up. "If it makes you feel any better, I was despised too, just as badly, if not worse, than you." She walked off, Gaignun following.

"Where are you going?" Daine asked.

"It's growing dark. I'll keep watch. I'm not tired yet. Even though it seems as if this city is deserted, who knows when we could be attacked, so this is for the best."

"True. Wake me up when you get tired," Daine said, going towards the back of the building to rest in a corner. Karen and Yamato each took spots on seats to relax.

Hope sat at the front of the building, waiting for her companions to fall asleep. Finally, she turned to Gaignun.

_Alright.__ I can talk now._

Gaignun lay down at her side. _The girl is ok. The other man has the scent of death clinging to him, but he is not as cold as many view him as. He will be fine in the end. But the other… _His teeth showed in a silent snarl. _Blood, death, destruction, it cloaks him. He's slain many, for no reason. Evil… he's the definition of pure evil._

_But he seems fine, _Hope protested. _He's been asleep for twenty years… and when he finally revives, his family is gone. It's an awful thing._

_How would you know what it is like?_

Hope had no reply to that.

_I have never doubted my instincts. You have never doubted me. Do not begin to now. I know a murderer when I see one. And he makes that term seem like a fun activity._

_So what do you suggest?_

_I would have abandoned him upon sight. Putting full trust into him is folly. He may seem innocent, but that pentagram… I have never felt a force like it before. Something is there… something that has made him more than an average cold-blooded killer. Leaving him is the wisest move._

_I won't do that,_ Hope replied firmly. _He needs help, and I can give it. We do not know why he is like this, and until we do, I do not plan on leaving him. I'll keep your warning in mind, ok? Try to be friendly-I don't want them growing suspicious about you, or me for that matter._

_I do not like this, at all. But I cannot change your mind, so it seems. My mind tells me to run, but my heart tells me I must stay with you. I will not abandon you at a dangerous stage such as this._

Hope smiled at him. _That's the reason I trust you. Thanks._

_Where will we be going next?_

Hope sighed. _To go get money, I guess. Yamato and Karen won't leave us until I do. So the next town is our destination, I suppose. Maybe some ideas will come to me then._

-----

Hope stayed on watch all night, alternating sleep with Gaignun. The wolf was a great guard, and did not feel weary from their trip.

They left the building shortly after dawn, and proceeded to exit the town. Little talk passed between them as the entered the forest from the other side of town. Daine did ask where they were going, and after Hope explained, nobody tried to bring up a conversation.

It was a nice, quiet day, and they were proceeding fairly well when their progress was somewhat interrupted.

They emerged at a small clearing, with a river flowing through. Hope stopped there to refill the water canisters she always carried around, while Gaignun drank from the river itself. Nobody else was tired yet, so after that, they were ready to move on.

As they went into the trees again, they cast a last look at the area they had left. That was then they saw two other people.

One was a teen who was wearing a blue beater and blue jeans. He had very dark brown hair, which could have easily been mistaken for black. It was pretty short on top, but he had braids in the back, with beads, which made his appearance quite odd. Two strands of his hair curled down the front. He also had brown eyes.

The man he was across from had a long-sleeved green vest, with a black and white shirt and pants. He had a green belt on, and silver armlets. He wore black boots and a green headband. Over his shoulder was a sword. He had light brown, unruly hair, and blue eyes.

It seemed as if they were arguing about something. Curious, they went in closer to hear.

"I'm not THAT bad!" the man with the sword was protesting.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Suuure you aren't. Come on, that was the most perverted thing I've heard in a LONG time, and to a random woman on the street! People like you disgust me."

"Everyone says that," the man commented. "But in all honesty, I don't care about much else besides things like that."

The boy stared. "You're kidding. Your life goal is to go around to every woman still alive on this earth, asking them to bear your child?"

_Should I hurt him? _Gaignun asked.

_Nah, this'll be fun to watch, _Hope replied.

"I don't see you doing anything more worthwhile with your life," the man told him.

"At least I'm not some moronic lecher."

"I take insult in the moron remark."

"That was the point. Since I don't even know your name, I should just keep calling you that."

"Oh yeah, I never introduced myself. I'm Ravemaster Ikari."

The boy gave him a look of disgust. "Ravemaster Ikari? What kind of an idiotic name is that?"

"Watch your tongue! I got it from a manga I read!"

"What the heck is a manga?" the teen asked.

"A comic made in Japan."

"It's still a stupid name. I think I'll just call you Ikari for short."

"It's RAVEMASTER Ikari! Screw dueling, you're dying in a real fight!" The man drew his sword and leapt at the seemingly defenseless teen, only to be blocked by a katar.

"Don't underestimate me," the boy hissed before jumping back again. "If you want a fight to the death, be my guest. But I won't be the one slain."

Ikari sighed. "Alright. A duel will have to do. But if I win, you'll be calling me 'Ravemaster Ikari' for the rest of your life."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Very well. If I win, you leave me alone for the rest of my life. I don't want to be friends with a pervert."

"Fine, fine! Cut the pleasantry, let's get on with it!"

"Of course I will, _Ikari_."

"That arrogant mouth of yours will soon be shut… damn it, I can't make a dramatic threat without knowing your name."

"It's Varen."

"In that case… that arrogant mouth of yours will soon be shut, Varen!"

"And the sad thing is that the president makes better threats than that."

"We don't even have a president."

"History books are your friend. Are we going to waste all day talking?"

"For once, I agree. Let's get moving! I choose Fire Sorcerer as my Deck Master!"

A girl wearing a black dress and hat appeared.

"I should have known it would be a girl," Varen muttered.

Ikari looked pained at something. "Shut up. This is more important to me than you might think. Well, hurry up!"

"Fine. I choose Mermaid Knight." The pink-haired mermaid was there immediately, wielding two swords.

Varen: 8000

Ikari: 8000

"Well, you don't see this every day," Hope commented. "Should we stay and watch?"

Daine shrugged. "We aren't in a hurry."

"True."

"I'll go first," Ikari announced. "I summon Gemini Elf in attack mode. (1900/900) Then I lay two cards down, ending my turn."

Varen looked at his hand. "Hm… not bad. First I lay one card down."

"I activate Cyclone, to destroy it!"

"Excellent," Varen smirked. "It's my own Cyclone. I chain it, destroying your other card."

"Damn it… my Tidal Wave."

"Now I lay two other cards down, and one monster in defense. It's your turn."

"First, I use Fire Sorcerer's effect. I discard one card from the top of my deck. If it's a monster, I lose 500 Life Points. If it's a magic, you lose 500 Life Points. If it's a trap, you lose 1000 Life Points." He looked at his card. "Saint Magician. My luck really sucks."

Varen: 8000

Ikari: 7500

"I play Tempest! That destroys both of your trap cards!"

Varen calmly flipped over a trap. "I activate Judgment of Anubis by discarding the Legendary Fisherman. (1850/1600) This negates any magic card that can destroy other magic or trap cards. It also destroys one of your monsters, and deals Life Point damage equal to its attack to you. So your Gemini Elf is gone."

Varen: 8000

Ikari: 5600

"Damn! I'll summon Magic Warrior: Breaker! He gets a magic counter when summoned, raising his attack by 300! (1900/1000) By removing it, one of your magic or trap cards is destroyed. So I do that! (1600/1000)"

"Oh, shoot. There goes Magic Cylinder."

"Score! Now Breaker attacks!"

"Oh no. My Spear Shellfish is dead. (1000/1000) I'll surely lose now."

"Master of sarcasm, aren't you?"

"Gee, what gave you THAT idea, _Ikari_?"

"…You'll die for that. I end my turn."

"I'm sure," Varen said dryly, drawing. "Well, it looks like you're dead. I play Atlantis."

Ikari yelled in shock as a tidal wave of water slammed into him. They were now on a field of water.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!"

"Atlantis is a field magic card. It raises all Water Main-Types stats by 200. It also lowers all Water Main-Types levels by one, either on the field or in the hand."

"…Uh oh."

"Uh oh is right. Now I can summon Giga Gagagigo for no cost! (2650/1700) I also play Raise Dead on my Legendary Fisherman! (1850/1600)"

"…You bastard."

"Legendary Fisherman attacks, and then Giga Gagagigo attacks twice!"

"Wait! WHAT?!"

Varen: 8000

Ikari: 50

"HOW THE HELL DID THAT THING ATTACK TWICE?!"

"It's Mermaid Knight's Deck Master ability. Once per turn, I can choose a Water Main-Type and it can attack twice."

"Ok, I really hate you now. I draw…" He looked at his card. "Ok, I'd rather lose to my own stupidity than to you. I use Fire Sorcerer's effect, drawing… oh damn it. It's Apprentice Magician."

Varen: 8000

Ikari: 0

"That was the lamest duel I've ever played, _Ikari_," Varen told him.

"Shut up. I'm outta here." He ran off, muttering curses.

Varen watched him leave, and then turned around, shaking his head. "Of all the dumb people I've met, he ranks high on my list as one of the most idiotic." He then turned his gaze to the trees. "You don't need to hide anymore."

"You knew we were here?" Hope asked as they stepped out.

"Yep. I didn't bother telling that moron though." He ran his eyes over them all. "So who are you guys?"

"I'm Hope, he's Daine, he's Yamato, and she's Karen. Oh, and that's Gaignun."

"Nice to meet you all. Where are you heading?"

"The next big town," Karen told him.

"What a coincidence; I'm headed the same way. I just had to take a detour to shut that other idiot up. It's safer to travel in numbers, so may I accompany you until we arrive there?"

"I see no problem in that," Hope said, shifting her eyes to Gaignun.

_He is strange. But there are no problems._

"It's settled then. Thanks."

With that taken care of, they continued on, heading for the village.

To be continued…


	4. Master of Silence, and Two in Peril

Wow, I've been slacking off. But I've had a lot of school projects. I'll try to update as much as I can. 

By the way, for some dumb reason, FFN won't let my chapter title be bolded. Go figure.

John: Demon Summon? Eh, we'll see. Probably not a main character, sorry. But maybe a villain or someone could have him. 

LunaticChaos: Yes, I have. InuYasha rules. You left Daine wondering what the heck happened, by the way. Yeah, I like Bakura a lot. He's cool. But not their decks. Meh, oh well. Glad you like, and yeah, Teknisk Wereld Version 2 will be updated soon.

Chapter 4: Master of Silence, and Two in Peril 

The man stared down at the group from his position in the trees.

"So many people, in these troubled times. Interesting…"

He leapt down, cautiously following them.

-----

"So why are you going to town?" was Hope's first question to their new companion.

They were still walking through the forest, shortly after meeting Varen.

"I don't really have a specific job," Varen shrugged. "I just go here and there, and if anything interesting comes up I try to find out more on it. You know how scarce jobs are."

"Indeed," Hope sighed. "It's just my luck too. I don't know how I'm going to pay back Yamato."

"It's not my problem," Yamato pointed out.

"I know; I just feel like complaining."

Karen was staring at Yamato. Daine noticed where her gaze was directed.

"Something on your mind?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Karen said, shaking her head.

Hope was trying to find out more from Varen.

"So you run an Atlantis deck? I've heard of them, but I've never seen one in action."

"You guessed correctly. I like the card Atlantis because of my love for water."

"Water?" Karen asked.

"Yeah. It might seem strange, but rainfall and lakes, among other water-related things, calm me."

"Someone who likes rainstorms? You're lucky. Normally, people prefer to stay out of it," Hope commented.

"That's just the way I am."

While moving, Yamato had been paying close attention to the surroundings, in case anyone decided to attempt an ambush. So far, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Suddenly, Gaignun snarled, turning to face a certain tree. Everyone else looked at the source of his violence.

"What's the matter with him?" Varen asked.

Her bow was in her hands in an instant, with an arrow already notched. "Whoever's out there, show yourself!"

A man jumped down from the tree, landing neatly in front of them. He wore a slack white outfit with light blue patterns. His sleeves were quite wide, but when he moved, he made little sound. Over that he had a brown cloak. His brown hair had strange cat-like tufts over his ears, and a pony tail of sorts. It was tied at the top, leaving the hair to go straight down. They also noticed the scars on his arms, which somewhat reminded Daine of stripes. His eyes were half-closed, which made the color of his eyes hard to tell.

"I'm surprised you managed to see me," the man said. "Then again, I can see that's a wolf. Of course his-or her-sense of smell would be able to detect me."

"You've been following us?" Daine inquired.

"Yes, for quite some time."

_I don't understand. Why didn't I hear him? Even the most quiet person would have to make some kind of noise in here_, Yamato thought. _How did I miss his presence?_

"Why show interest?" Karen asked.

"Why wouldn't I? It's rare to find such a large group anywhere, except maybe towns."

"Well, that's true," Hope admitted. _Gaignun__, what do you think of this guy?_

_I sense nothing wrong._

"I overheard you say you were headed towards town. If you don't mind, I'll accompany you there."

"What benefit is it to you?" Daine questioned.

"It's safer to travel in groups than alone."

"He has a point," Karen said.

"The more, the merrier," Hope told him. "What is your name?"

"I'm called Ryei."

"Welcome to our ever-growing party," Hope greeted him. "Of course, once we get to town, we'll probably split up, to go our separate ways."

"What is so special about this town?" Daine asked.

Varen and Ryei looked at him in surprise.

"You mean you don't know about it? Are you not from this area?" Ryei inquired.

"Um… yeah, he isn't," Hope lied. "Daine, this place is one of the only populated towns around. It's a good area to get supplies and news. And if Yamato wants a new motorcycle, this might be the area he will be able to get it."

"I see…" Daine nodded. "So what is this place called?"

"After the incident, we've renamed many of the towns and cities that occupy the area. We call this one 'Side Capital'."

"Side Capital?"

"There's also a main Capital, which is the most important city we have."

"Oh…"

"But the Capital is a little too far for us to reach easily," Hope explained. "So that's why the Side Capital is our best bet."

"What happened to the names of the towns?" Daine inquired. "I mean, 'Capital' and 'Side Capital' aren't exactly the greatest names I've ever heard."

Hope shrugged. "After the incident, most people just completely forgot or ignored the fact that towns once had names. All of the other towns are called 'Town' with a number after it. What was yours once called?"

"Well…" Daine thought. "Strange… I can't remember…"

"There, you see? Many just plain forgot. With the crisis going on, we were more worried about trying to stay alive than simple things such as names. So instead of renaming the towns, we just threw numbers onto them. That's the kind of world we live in now."

"It's fine to explain these things, but can we keep walking?" Varen requested. "The sooner we get to the town, the better."

"Yeah," Karen agreed. "Let's keep going."

Yamato began to lead the way, while Daine and Hope dropped to the back of the group.

"So what was my town's number?" Daine questioned.

"Hm…" Hope murmured. "Well… I can only think of one town around that area… does your hometown have a huge clock, stuck on twelve?"

"Yes."

Hope laughed softly. "How ironic!"

"What is it?"

"That town is the first one that was discovered in this area with no survivors at all. They must not have found you. So in other words, everyone thought it would be a place of bad luck. That is the reason your town is now called Town 666."

Daine fell silent, thinking about that as they walked on.

-----

"We're finally here!" Varen announced as they emerged from the trees to see the Side Capital. There were many sleek, tall buildings, and several people walking around.

"How did they all survive?" Daine muttered to Hope.

"To this day, scientists still question that," she replied softly. "Some people were in outer space. Nobody died out there. The rest, we don't know."

They entered, only to see a guard.

"State your purpose for being here!" the guard demanded.

"A place for shelter," Ryei told him. "It's almost dark, in case you didn't notice."

"Sorry, but this area is under strict guard," the guard explained. "We have orders to look for a criminal that has just recently left. We are to keep a careful eye on all newcomers, in case they are here to help the criminal."

"Someone's way too concerned," Daine commented dryly.

The guard shrugged. "I don't like it any better than you. But hey, life isn't always fair." He jotted down a few things on the clipboard he carried. "Simple enough process, but it gets tedious after some time. Alright, you're free to go in. Enjoy your stay."

They walked down the street, looking for a hotel to stay in. Daine examined the area, seeing several office buildings and normal business stores.

"Why are there no houses?" Daine asked.

"The people still alive today don't have the time to care for a house," Varen replied. Apparently, he had gotten used to the fact that one of his new companions often asked strange questions. "So they usually just live in their store, or office. Limited space, but it works out and saves time."

Karen gave him and Ryei inquiring glances. "I thought you two had to be somewhere now?"

"I'm just waiting for something interesting to come up," Varen shrugged. "Nothing else to do, really."

"I am much the same way," Ryei said. "So until necessary, we may as well stick together."

"We aren't paying for you," Yamato informed him.

"I didn't expect you to," Ryei replied.

By now, it was night time. It was a clear night though, so the stars and moon brought down enough light to see well enough. After some time, they finally found a hotel, and entered.

"Can we get a few rooms for one night?" Hope requested to the woman at the front counter.

The woman looked at Gaignun with disdain. "No pets are allowed."

Gaignun growled harshly as Hope protested. "He isn't my pet!"

"Fine, I'll be more specific; no animals, period. Get out."

"That sucked," Varen muttered as they left the hotel.

"Yeah… sorry guys," Hope apologized.

"No big deal," Ryei replied. "It won't be a problem to stay outside."

"Back to the forest," Karen sighed. "At least it's a nice night."

They entered the woods, searching around for a good place to stay. There were several small, good spots, but they weren't big enough to hold six people and one wolf.

"How long is this going to take?" Varen complained after about thirty minutes.

"Hopefully, not much more time," Ryei responded. "I recognize this area. I think we're about to arrive at…"

A sudden scream of pain cut him off, echoing through the night.

"What was that?!" Karen exclaimed.

Gaignun snarled.

_I smell blood… it is a fight. I will lead the way._

"Guys! This way!" Hope called, running after Gaignun. The rest followed swiftly, hearing occasional agonized cries.

Gaignun stopped. _Approach cautiously. It is just ahead._

Hope slowed. "We have to go carefully, or we might be caught in whatever is happening. I get a feeling we're about to be there."

Another yell backed up her words. They warily advanced, hiding behind some trees to see what was occurring.

There were about thirty soldiers, including the injured and dead. They all carried a sword and gun, but the ones outside of the fray were afraid to fire their long range weapons, in fear of hitting their companions.

The others were trying to cut down a female opponent, who was backed up to a tree. She looked to be about twenty, with black hair that came down below her shoulders. She wore a long sleeved, navy shirt with dark brown pants, and black shoes. Her emerald green eyes were piercing and harsh. She wielded two katanas. The silver blades were about as long as her arm, with black handles. She was obviously very skilled, judging by the bodies that were around her. But she was cut in several places as well. While she fought well, she was being overridden by the number of soldiers there were.

She slew another man, blocking a sword with her second katana. However, she failed to notice the blade coming for her until it was nearly too late. She tried to dodge, which was the only thing that saved her life. As it was, the blade cut into her back, leaving a long wound. Combined with the other injuries she had acquired, this was too much. She collapsed, blood flying.

"It's hard to believe she lasted that long," one of the soldiers muttered. He wore a standard blue uniform. He had short, brown hair and matching eyes. He wore a gold pin on that signified his position in the ranks. Obviously, he was in charge of this group of fighters.

One of the soldiers nearby their opponent tried to advance to the tree where she had been in front of. He didn't know what killed him as the katana went through his heart. He fell, landing nearby the tree.

She was down on her knees, using one of her katanas to support herself, trying to rise.

The leader looked amused. "Still fighting? Just give up. You have no chance to survive anyway."

Another soldier shook his head in bewilderment. "How can she still fight? Nobody should be able to even be conscious with that amount of injuries!"

"Warriors who have a goal will strive to accomplish it," the leader responded. "But in the end, it won't matter. She's about to collapse."

Hope seemed confused. "What is going on here?"

"Not sure," Varen whispered in reply. "Let's find out, shall we? You all up for it?" He looked around. "Hey, wait… where's Ryei?"

"He was just here…" Karen responded. "He couldn't have left without us hearing."

Their problem was forgotten when they saw another combatant walk up to the female, lifting his sword for a death blow.

He didn't even have time to scream as Ryei drove six kunai into his throat. He held three in each hand, and gripped onto them in a way that made them seem to be claws. Ignoring his victim, Ryei turned to face the stunned soldiers.

"Anyone else care to try their luck?"

The commander shook off his shock. "Where the hell did you come from?!"

"We'd like to know too," Varen commented, causing the soldiers to jump in surprise. Distracted, they hadn't heard the group move behind them, blocking off an exit route.

Ryei shrugged. "I'm very fast and silent."

"That's true, but I was hoping for specifics," Varen said impatiently.

The leader of the squad held up his gun, aiming for Ryei. The rest of the soldiers aimed at the group. "If you want your lives to be spared, you'll surrender now."

Karen grinned, reaching over her back to grab something out of a pack that nobody had noticed until now. "Sorry, but we have other plans." She whipped out a blue bazooka that was about as big as her arm. She smiled innocently as the soldier's expressions turned to horror. "Good bye!" Holding onto the bazooka with both hands to be able to withstand the kick back, she launched a blue bullet that sped across the clearing, crackling softly with energy.

It hit home, exploding when it came in contact with the commander. The soldiers were taken out by the blast as well, which was surprisingly not very loud. It was effective nevertheless, leaving only about five soldiers alive. They ran for their life instantly, not even turning to try and fight.

"Cowards," Daine muttered.

Varen was looking at the bazooka. "Did we know you had that?"

"Nope!" Karen said with a charming smile, putting it back into her pack.

With them out of the way, they went up to the female, who had fallen unconscious some time after Ryei came into the area. Hope looked over the wounds, and checked her pulse.

"We'll need to stop the blood flow of her wounds, especially the one on her back. Otherwise, I think she'll be ok. It all depends on how strong she is. If we can move her to a different area, I can take care of her injuries."

"I can help move her," Daine volunteered.

"I will too," Varen decided.

Ryei seemed to be more concerned with the tree that she had been in front of. He walked over to it, looking at a black cloth that had been thrown against the trunk. He seemed to be observing it.

"I see…" he murmured. In a slightly louder tone, he said, "It's ok now. We're not here to harm you."

After a few seconds, a boy stepped out from the area he had been hiding in, bringing the cloth with him, and a Duel Disk that was much too large for him-it was probably the female's. He was very young, looking to be about six or so. He had on a white t-shirt and shorts of the same color, with no socks or shoes. The cloths he wore were in terrible condition, small rips in several areas. His arms and legs had several scars, many old and others new. His hair was a very dark red, a shade that almost looked like rust. It went down to his shoulders, and was tangled in several areas. His eyes were a startling, dark violet, and unlike most children's eyes, they held no innocence and happiness of simply being alive. His seemed to hold pain, and fear.

"So that's why she wouldn't quit fighting…" Varen realized.

Hope knelt down in front of the boy, who flinched away from her hand. "Ryei's right… we won't hurt you. What are you called?"

The boy still seemed nervous, but answered quietly. "Valor."

"You know who she is?" Varen asked, indicating to the woman.

"Yes… she's called Zari."

"We want to help her, and you," Hope tried to assure Valor. "Please, trust us. If you want to, you can come with us, and stay until your friend is healed. Is that ok?"

The boy was looking at Zari's back injury. He looked worried still, but nodded.

"Then we'd best hurry," Varon said as he and Daine lifted Zari carefully. "Ryei, did you say you knew where that area was?"

"Yes. I'll show you the location."

The trip was a short and silent one. Soon they emerged by the same river where Varen had been dueling Ikari. It wasn't the same location, but it was the same river. Hope approved instantly.

"A water source is always helpful," she stated as Daine and Varen laid Zari gently on the ground. "I'll get to work now. Everyone else, please try to get some rest."

They obliged, except for Valor. He sat down beside Zari. "I don't want to leave…"

Hope nodded in understanding. "Ok. Go ahead and stay."

Varen was trying to get Ryei to explain how he could move so quietly.

"Come on! Nobody can be that swift and silent without some kind of magic!"

"I've practiced a lot," Ryei told him. "Nothing more. It's completely natural. I just happen to be good at it, while most are not nearly as skilled. Good night."

Varen muttered a few unpleasant phrases about smart alecks before settling down to sleep with the others.

Gaignun settled down beside Hope, eyes never leaving the trees nearby, as he and Valor waited for Hope to be done.

After several anxious minutes, Hope was finally done. She smiled in relief. "There! Now she just needs rest. At least she will be ok eventually, although there will probably be some really nasty scars left over. The back wound was worst, but luckily it was pretty shallow."

Valor nodded.

She noticed that he was still holding onto the black cloth that had covered him in the tree. "What is that?"

"It's hers…" He hesitated, and then handed it to Hope.

She looked it over. "A trench coat of some sort…" She handed it back to Valor, and then stood up. "Gaignun will be staying up to keep watch. If you need anything, just wake me up." After laying Zari against a tree, she went over to where the others were sleeping, and was soon slumbering herself.

Valor felt too uneasy and afraid to sleep, fearing not only for Zari but that these new people might wish harm upon them. So he stayed up, waiting for her to regain consciousness.

It was a few hours later when she finally opened her eyes. She looked around quickly, eyes resting on Valor.

"Are you alright?"

Valor had been trying to stay awake. When he heard her voice, he was instantly up, hoping it wasn't a dream.

"Yes, I am. Are you? I was so worried!"

Zari winced as her back flared with pain. "Nothing too serious; I've had worse wounds. What happened? The last thing I can recall is someone killing another soldier, and then I must have fallen unconscious…"

Valor indicated to the sleeping companions. "They saved us. I was unsure if I could trust them, but you were in a really bad condition so I came with them."

She scanned the group. "I see why you would hesitate to anyone. I think it will be ok though. So what happened to the soldiers?"

"Five managed to get away, but the rest are dead."

Zari shook her head. "They let five escape? That was a bad decision."

"Why?"

"Those five will report, and then we won't be the only ones on the wanted list." She sighed. "This could get complicated. I'm sorry to have gotten you into this."

Valor shook his head wildly. "No, no, it's ok. This is much better than the life I was living before."

"I guess so." She tried to make herself relax against the tree trunk. "Well, until those others get up, there isn't much else we can do. I'm going to try and relax, and I suggest you do the same."

He nodded, lying down on the grass.

Zari stared at the stars, trying to think of a solution but not finding one. Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft whisper from her companion.

"Zari?"

"What is it?"

"I can't help but feel scared."

She smiled slightly. "Very well." She took him into her lap, trying to make him comfortable. After a few more minutes, his even breathing told her he was asleep.

Zari shook her head. _Ironic situation.__ I never thought I would be assisting one so similar to myself._

-----

Hope woke up to Gaignun pawing her.

_Rise. It is morning._

She got up. _So, did anything happen?_

_Yes. The woman has regained consciousness. She seems to be fine._

_That's good. _Hope looked at the others. They were coming around as well, except for Varen.

"Apparently, he's a deep sleeper," Ryei said dryly.

"Well, maybe this will bring him around." Hope took out a water canister and threw the contents over Varen.

He yelped in shock, jumping up. "What the hell was that for?!"

"You said you liked water," she teased, going back to the river to refill the canister.

"Resist urge to kill, resist urge to kill, resist urge to kill…" Varen muttered.

The noise of the group woke Zari and Valor up. Valor got off of Zari as she attempted to get up. This time, she managed to stay up, even though her back protested to it.

Hope noticed that they were up coming back from the river. "Oh, I'm sorry! We didn't mean to wake you up." Everyone else turned to see the two new companions.

"It's fine," Zari assured, looking over them. "Thanks for helping us."

"Not a problem," Karen replied. "Why were you being chased by soldiers?"

Zari shook her head. "I can explain that later. We have a bigger problem now. Valor says that five soldiers managed to escape."

"That's right," Varen confirmed. "What about it?"

"Those five will report back, saying that you all assisted a wanted criminal. In other words, you will be in great danger of the military."

"Drat… that's true," Daine sighed.

"See the problem? You won't be able to enter towns and such for a long time, if ever, until you are cleared. Quite a dilemma."

Ryei seemed to be thinking. "What if we go to the Capital? It's far away from here, and news of us might not reach there."

"Well… that might work…" Zari responded. "They might have word of us, but if we hurry, we might be able to get there before anyone becomes aware of the events here."

"Then we had best hurry," Daine stated. With that agreed to, they began to walk away from the forest.

-----

The mayor of the Side Capital, Anthony Watson, was an impatient man. He might have seemed kind and caring to the civilians, but that was just a mask of his true nature. He really could care less of the people that looked up to him, as long as it was _him_ that they looked up to.

Normally, he had an even temper, but it was hard to keep on his calm exterior now. He tapped his pen against the desk top with irritation, waiting.

His phone rang. He instantly picked it up. "Yes?"

"Sir, he's here."

"Excellent. I'll meet him now."

A few minutes later, a knock sounded on the door.

"Enter!" Watson called.

The one he had been waiting for did so, and closed the door behind him.

Watson raised an eyebrow. "Well well. It looks like the information I read about you was correct. You are willing to do this mission as long as I pay you correctly?"

"Yes. I have no right to refuse your request."

"That is true. Have you heard any information on this mission?"

"No."

Watson handed over a sheet of paper. "Alright then, I'll explain it. You are to go after these eight people. Seven of them are wanted criminals, for resisting the military. They are quite strong though, considering they killed twenty-five men easily."

"You said seven are criminals, yet there are eight people?"

"One is a boy that is about six years old. I want him to be brought back alive. The others are to die, but under no circumstances may you kill the boy."

"I see."

"Make sure they are all dead. I want no chances taken; behead them all if necessary. Any questions?"

"I do not have the right to ask the questions I wish to."

"Wise," Watson murmured, turning his chair to see out of the glass behind him. "Alright. You may start the mission immediately. Be sure to hurry, or they will have gotten away. I will also be sending military soldiers. If you should meet, do not worry. They have strict orders to not get in your way."

"It is appreciated." Then he left.

Watson smirked. "This just might work. And if doesn't… well, I have other options." He laughed to himself.

To be continued…


	5. Former Human

I'm such a slacker. ^_^;;; Hopefully I can update more often now, with most of my school projects out of the way…

John: o_o; That was a maybe… _

LunaticChaos: Yep. Now you've scarred him for life, poor guy. _ And thank you for reading. 

***Chapter 5: Former Human***

It was midday before they finally halted, having arrived at a place to rest. It was a part of the woods where the trees closed in, making it hard for anyone outside them to see anything inside.

Ryei surveyed the spot. "We've been traveling for hours. Let's stop for a while."

Zari hesitated, and then sighed. "Fine, but only for a few minutes. We must keep moving."

Valor sat down gratefully; being the youngest, he had found it difficult to keep up with the others. Zari's injuries had been giving her problems as well, although she refused to admit it. She started to lean against a tree, but winced and changed her mind as her back flared with agony.

Varen gave Zari a questioning look. "You still haven't told us why you two are being chased."

"All will be explained, once we are out of danger," Zari replied.

"Why not now? I'd prefer to know why we are wanted dead," Varen informed her.

"We don't have the time to tell it right now; we must keep moving."

"Why not tell it while we are walking?"

"Because we should not make any extra noises to inform our pursuers where we are."

Varen glanced around the area. "We haven't seen anyone all night. I understand why we are trying to get away from the Side Capital, but I doubt that anyone will catch up with us at the rate that we are moving."

Zari looked over at him. "It doesn't matter who you are fighting-never underestimate your opponent."

"Besides, we should save our breath," Hope pointed out. "And I mean that literally. If we're trying to make it to the Capital, then we still have a long way to go."

"I guess so," Varen relented, still unsatisfied.

Yamato was not paying attention to the conversation, instead listening for a sign of the ones who chased them. His eyes narrowed suddenly.

_Was that… footsteps?_

"I'm going to survey the area," Yamato announced. "It won't take long." Then he left.

"We'll leave the minute he gets back," Daine decided. "Are you all ready?"

Everyone nodded in response, except for Gaignun-nobody had really expected him to though.

The next few minutes were spent in uncomfortable silence. Nobody really knew what to say.

Gaignun suddenly snarled. _What is that? It smells human… yet metal at the same time!_

Before Hope could ask what he meant, he ran towards Valor. Alarmed by the sudden change in the wolf, Valor jumped backwards, closer to the trees.

That was when the person made his move. He leapt out from the cover of the trees, and struck Valor over the head. The boy would have collapsed had the attacker not grabbed him before fleeing, Gaignun following.

Zari was after them in an instant. It took the others a few seconds to realize what had occurred before they too came.

"What the heck just happened?!" Karen exclaimed as they ran.

"I'd like to know myself!" was Varen's response.

Even though Zari had a head start, they caught up with her quickly. Gaignun's snarls told them which way to go. Then a sudden yelp sounded.

_Gaignun__?__ What's wrong? _Hope asked in alarm.

_I was too eager to catch the attacker. I did not expect an attack, but a blow over the head from his fist taught me otherwise._

_Are you alright? Can you keep going?_

_Yes; I escaped the worst of it._

"Hope!" Karen called. "Something is up ahead… I think it's Gaignun! It looks like he is hurt!"

"He'll be fine," Hope assured as the wolf got up. "Let's hurry, or that guy will get away!"

"I bet he already has," Varen said. "Think about it. He had a head start, and hasn't been traveling all night like us."

"We still have to try!" Hope protested. 

"I second that," Daine agreed. "Let's continue on."

"But which way did he go?" Karen wondered.

A clash of metal answered her question. They quickly followed the sounds to find the source of the fight.

Yamato was swinging his huge blue sword at an amazing speed, trying to cut down the man they had been following. But even though Yamato was very swift, his opponent managed to block all of his attacks with a switchblade.

This was the first time they had managed to see the attacker clearly, and Daine had never seen anything like him. His body structure seemed human, as did his head and the part of his chest that was shown. His short black hair and calculating blue eyes looked genuine as well. But the rest of his body was very different. He wore a long sleeved blue and gray shirt with pants that matched. But Daine saw, when he blocked another strike, that his arm actually appeared to be some kind of metal. His feet seemed to be some kind of silver boots. His right hand was black, and seemed normal enough. But his left hand, while it was in the shape of a human hand, looked as though it was covered with some kind of shiny silver armor. Also, the switchblade he was using actually came out of his left arm.

His right arm was holding onto Valor, who was unconscious at the moment. This made it difficult for Yamato to attack, since he had to be careful not to hit the boy. But his opponent was always ready to guard any attack he attempted.

"Enough of this!" Yamato's adversary said. His deep voice also seemed like a human's, to Daine's surprise. As Yamato brought down his sword again, his foe actually caught the blade with his left hand. Before Yamato could pull it away, his opponent's left hand began to glow blue, before electricity shot out of it. The blade, being metal, conducted the energy. Unaware of the danger, Yamato had not let go of his blade, and was instantly blasted backwards by the electricity.

The attacker threw Yamato's sword at him, but Yamato rolled out of the way before the blade hit him. 

Varen stared in amazement. "Yamato can still move? I don't know about you guys, but if I was hit by electricity, I would be completely unable to fight."

Karen had run over to him. "Yamato! Are you alright?"

Yamato got up. "I'm fine-I've dealt with much worse."

"That's true," she admitted. Then she turned her attention to their opponent, and swiftly drew her bazooka out, pointing it at the attacker. "Let go of Valor now!"

"I doubt that you would risk using such a weapon," was his reply. "I recognize that weapon as one that would cause a chain reaction. Not only would I probably still be able to fight, but the boy would die."

Karen let the weapon fall to her side with a glare at their adversary.

Zari unsheathed her swords. "We aren't about to let you get away."

"You're surrounded on all sides," Ryei informed the attacker. He had managed to sneak behind him, cutting off an escape route. "Just hand over Valor and we'll let you go."

"That is not an option that I can take," he answered. "My orders were to bring back the boy alive, and kill the seven that traveled with him."

"Then why didn't you try to kill us?" Daine asked. "You could have easily assassinated one of us before we even knew you were there, so why didn't you?"

"We have too few people in this world without needless slaying. As long as I bring back the one I am supposed to, there should be no reason for extra bloodshed."

Hope had brought out her bow, with an arrow notched. "You're hiding something. There's another reason you didn't want us to die."

"If you must know, I disapprove of killing altogether," the attacker told her. "But I will if necessary. Move out of my way, or I will not be so generous."

"When you're outnumbered? The chances of beating all of us are slim to none. You had best give up," Ryei stated.

"Then let us do this in a way that will not require wounds," he suggested. His switchblade folded back into his arm, and in its place he strapped a Duel Disk. 

"And you carry a Duel Disk when you are attempting to murder and kidnap… why?" Varen said.

"I have had certain occasions where the best way to solve a problem is with a duel," he explained. "So, do any of you wish to accept my challenge?"

Zari stepped up. "I will."

"Are you sure about this?" Hope asked.

"It is my fault that Valor, and all of you, are in danger in the first place. It is only fair." Zari turned to her opponent. "So what are the stakes?"

"If I win, you will allow me to leave with no resistance. The boy comes with me, and the rest of you move on to wherever you were going. If I lose, I'll return him and leave. Fair enough?"

"Yes. But I have another question. Who, and what, are you? You cannot be human."

"No, I am not," he nodded. "I was once one, but now I am a cyborg. My model number is not important-you may refer to me as Zarek. And you are?"

"Zari. Let's begin, shall we?"

The first thing Valor felt was a deep pain in his skull. Trying to ignore it, he cautiously opened one eye. When seeing that he could not escape the iron grip that held him, he closed his eye again.

_I hate this! Why must I always be so helpless? Why must I endanger others all for my sake? Why can't I, for once, look after myself? Why can't I help defend them, instead of always being the one who needs to be saved?_

All he could do was listen to how the duel turned out, while pretending to still be unconscious.

"So we are to play with Deck Masters?" Zarek concluded. "Then I will choose the Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon."

The machine emerged with a roar. It was a long, silver dragon covered with what seemed to be armor. It had a slender appearance, but its claws and teeth were as sharp, if not more, than daggers. Its red eyes glared at them as it hissed.

"My choice will be Wandering Hero, Freed," Zari announced. 

The monster that appeared looked like a human wearing purple armor, outlined with gold. He had a yellow cape and an elegant sword strapped at his side. On his head was a silver band, part of it concealed by his yellow hair, which went down to his shoulders. His blue eyes seemed calm, yet ready to attack when necessary.

_What do you think of him?_ Hope asked Gaignun.

_He has caused many deaths, yet he does not enjoy his work. His heart is filled with confusion and sorrow. The smell of blood was not an odor he wished to acquire._

_Is he trustworthy?_

_He is honorable. If he was to say he would help us, he would carry through with it._

Zari: 8000

Zarek: 8000

"Ladies first," Zarek offered.

"Very kind," Zari muttered, drawing. "I'll start off by summoning Volt Girl. (1900/800) And then I will lay one card down. That is all."

"I will first summon Bowgunian. (1300/1000) Then I play Theft. It is an equip magic that I will place on Volt Girl. She becomes my own monster, and as long as it is still equipped, you gain 1000 Life Points every one of your Standby phases."

When the Volt Girl arrived at Zarek's side of the field, a black aura came from Bowgunian. The Volt Girl cried out as it consumed her. In a matter of seconds, she had vanished.

"What happened?"

"You triggered my Volt Girl's effect," Zari explained. "If there is a non-Light Main-Type monster on the side of the field with Volt Girl, she is automatically destroyed."

"That might actually be more of an advantage to me. I will now equip Bowgunian with 7 Cards. Now I can raise either his attack or defense by 700 points. I will choose to raise his attack."

"No, you won't. I activate Magic Jammer. By discarding Saint Magician (300/400) from my hand, your magic card is negated and destroyed."

"It doesn't matter to me. Bowgunian attacks directly. Then I lay one card down."

Zari: 6700

Zarek: 8000

"I assume it is my turn now. I summon Executioner Makyura (1600/1200) and attack your Bowgunian."

"You have triggered my trap, Reactive Armor. This card can only be activated when your monster attacks, and when it is, that monster is destroyed."

"In that case, I will lay two cards down and end my turn."

After Zarek drew, the Bowgunian took aim with its bow and shot Zari in the chest with an arrow.

"How the heck did it do that?"

"On my standby phase, Bowgunian's ability activates, causing you to lose 600 Life Points," Zarek told her.

Zari: 6100

Zarek: 8000

"I will now sacrifice my Bowgunian for Android Psycho Shocker. (2400/1500)"

"I'm not impressed," Zari informed him as the machine emerged.

"If you are saying that because of the trap card you have down, think again. As long as Android Psycho Shocker is on the field, all trap cards are negated."

"That could cause a problem," Zari admitted.

"I had hoped so. Android Psycho Shocker attacks directly. It is your turn."

Zari: 3700

Zarek: 8000

"So Zarek's using a machine deck, but what the heck is Zari trying to play?" Varen wondered.

"We'll find out soon enough," Karen shrugged.

_I'm going to have to pull a winner,_ Zari thought. _Otherwise I don't stand a chance against that thing._ She looked over at Valor, the whole reason why she was doing this, and then drew. She smiled at it. "Well, it looks like I've drawn the perfect card for this occasion."

"And what would that be?"

"Just watch. I will remove my Saint Magician and Executioner Makyura to special summon Chaos Soldier-Messenger of Creation! (3000/2500)"

Everyone stared at the monster that appeared in awe. Its gold armor, well-crafted shield, and lethal sword told them the red-haired warrior was not someone that should be messed with.

"Chaos monsters… I've heard of them, but I have never actually seen one," Ryei commented. "It is said that the most powerful ones are extremely hard to come by."

"That is for a good reason," Zari said. "They are simple to get out with the correct deck, and they have very deadly effects. I will have Chaos Soldier attack Android Psycho Shocker, and then use his effect. He is allowed to attack again if he killed a monster in his first strike."

Zari: 3700

Zarek: 4400

Varen whistled softly. "What a comeback!"

"She's not home free yet," Daine pointed out. "I get the feeling that Zarek still has something up his sleeve."

Zarek didn't seem to be very concerned about the loss of his powerful monster. "I will first play Jar of Greed, to draw two more cards. Then I will play Raise Dead, to bring back Android Psycho Shocker."

"What good will that do you? He's still too weak to take out my Chaos Soldier."

"He will be strong enough, once I bring out Drillago! (1600/1200)"

Zari raised an eyebrow at the heavily-armed machine. "Did I miss something?"

"I am going to activate my Deck Master's ability. By sacrificing one Machine Sub-Type on my side of the field, another Machine Sub-Type has that attack added onto it. So by sacrificing Drillago, my Android Psycho Shocker gets 1600 more attack. (4000/1500)"

"That is way too cheap!" Varen protested.

"No, not really. Once it is my end phase, the powered up monster is automatically destroyed. But the damage will be done. Android Psycho Shocker obliterates your Chaos Soldier. I lay one more card down, and then end my turn."

Everyone shielded their eyes as the machine exploded, light filling the area. When it was safe to look again, they found that the Android Psycho Shocker was gone.

Zari: 2700

Zarek: 4400

"Let's see how this will turn out," Zari stated. "I activate Angel's Gift, to draw three cards and discard two others. Perfect… I discard another Volt Girl and Destruction Ring. Now I play Cyclone, to destroy your face down card."

"I will chain it. My Cry of the Living Dead will bring Android Psycho Shocker back to the field."

"What's the point in doing that?" Hope asked. "Once Cry of the Living Dead is destroyed, the monster that was brought back is destroyed as well."

"You forgot that Android Psycho Shocker negates all traps," Daine reminded her. "Including Cry of the Living Dead's worse effect."

"Oh yeah…" Hope nodded sheepishly.

"A good idea, but one I can easily deal with," Zari told him. "I will activate my own Deck Master's ability. By removing two Light Main-Types, one monster on your field with over 1700 attack is destroyed. So I will remove my two Volt Girls to destroy your Android Psycho Shocker. After that, I summon Mad Dog of Darkness. (1900/1400) He will attack directly."

Zari: 2700

Zarek: 2500

"I prefer not to take gambles," Zarek commented, eyeing her face down card. "I will place one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Zari examined her next card. "I do too. That is why I am not taking any chances. I play Black Hole, destroying all of our monsters."

"My Air Guard Gear Golem is destroyed. (800/2200)"

"After that, I will summon Demon Soldier. (1900/1500) Demon Soldier attacks directly, and then I end my turn."

Zari: 2700

Zarek: 600

"I can do nothing but place another monster in defense mode…"

"This should be the end," Zari announced. "I play Black Forest Witch. (1100/1200) Demon Soldier attacks your defense monster."

"My Cannon Soldier didn't stand a chance. (1400/1300)"

"Black Forest Witch finishes the duel."

Zari: 2700

Zarek: 0

Zarek nodded, shutting off his Duel Disk. "You are a worthy adversary. And you won fairly." He handed her Valor, who was still faking unconsciousness.

"So you will leave now?" Karen inquired.

"Yes," he replied. "It was an honor to die to one as skilled as you. I wish you all luck."

"What do you mean, die?" Zari asked.

"I failed my mission, and the one who sent me to do it will not be happy with it," Zarek explained. "I have heard of his background… several men have died for just reporting things he does not wish to here, even when they are fact. I stand no chance."

"Yet you do not care?" Hope said sadly.

"Maybe, but I am not sure," he responded. "I should rightfully be deceased, yet I was brought back to life. I do not know whether I was brought back for a purpose, or by accident. I just don't know if I want to be alive or dead right now."

"That's a cheerful thought," Varen muttered sarcastically.

Daine had been thinking, but now he looked at the cyborg. "If you are killed, you'll never know, right? Why should you report back to your employer if he's only going to slay you? If you come with us, you at least have a chance at staying alive."

"Yeah, come with us!" Hope agreed.

"Are you sure about this?" Varen asked doubtfully.

"He's fine!" Hope assured. "Just trust me on this, ok?"

"Whatever you say…" Varen sighed.

"Very well," Zarek said. "I will join your group, to try and help in any way I can. Maybe I can mend the trouble I have caused."

"Then let's get moving," Ryei suggested. "We are still being pursued, remember?"

"That is true," Zarek agreed. "The soldiers were ordered to stay out of my way while I searched for all of you, but they won't follow those orders for long. We had best make good use of the head start we have."

Zari had been looking over Valor. He waited for some time, before opening his eyes.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"I think so… my head hurts, but that's all."

"I apologize for that," Zarek said to him. 

"Zari, can you explain everything to him later?" Daine requested. "We can't stay here."

Zari lifted Valor. "I am ready."

After a few minutes of preparations, they were back on their way.

To be continued…


	6. Mansion of Mysteries

Wow, two updates in a short amount of time. This chapter was very fun for me to write, I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I did making it!

John: No, I don't like cyborgs. I LOVE cyborgs. I am OBSESSED with cyborgs. 

**Chapter 6: ****Mansion**** of ****Mysteries****, and a Sleeping Man**

They had kept on walking, not stopping at all. Evening was approaching, yet they were not sure when they wanted to stop for the night.

Ryei looked up at the sky, and shook his head. "It looks like a storm is coming. We had better find shelter as soon as possible."

Varen examined the clouds that were starting to cloak the sky. "It's going to be a pretty bad one. I agree that a place to stay would be the best idea."

"We might have to resort to trees for cover," Karen pointed out. "The Capital is still far away, right? We probably won't find any buildings around here."

"That's true," Hope agreed. "Let's look for the thickest foliage then."

About thirty minutes later, it began to rain. It was soft at first, but they knew it would come down much harder quickly.

"Any bright ideas?" Daine asked as they walked on.

Gaignun was sniffing the ground, trying to pick up the scent of something. The rain was making it difficult though.

"You guys stay here, under these trees," Varen suggested, indicated to a group of trees. "I'll go ahead and look for an area that will suit us better."

"Are you sure? You'll get completely soaked," Hope stated.

"I told you, I like the rain," Varen reminded her. "I'd rather take the time to enjoy it."

"Alright then, go ahead," Daine nodded. "We'll wait here."

After they settled down, they fell silent, all with their own thoughts. Only Hope and Gaignun continued to talk.

_You couldn't pick up anything?_

_No. The rain is making it impossible. We can only hope that Varen will find something._

Hope looked over at Daine. _You said that he has the scent of blood on him. Tell me… is that smell fresh?_

_No. Some of it is very, very old. Some of it is more recent, but still from a time long ago._

_About how old would you say?_

_I cannot say… it is one of the oldest scents I have ever picked up. It is so ancient, that I suspect that he was not born when he acquired it. _

_What are you saying? He had to be alive to obtain any kind of scent!_

_True. But some of the scents are far too aged… I know he could not have gotten them in his life time. I am aware that he slept for twenty years, but that is not what I mean._

Hope sighed. _It's all so confusing… will we ever know the answers to even half the questions we ask?_

"Hey, guys! I found something!" Varen called, walking over to them. "You won't believe it! There's actually an old mansion!"

"A mansion?" Ryei said in disbelief.

"It looks like this is our lucky day," Karen joked as they rose. "Lead the way Varen!"

The rain was coming down much more fiercely now. Varen was still able to find the mansion easily though. They soon arrived in front of it.

Daine examined it suspiciously. It might have been an effect of the lightning, rain, and darkness, but the mansion seemed like something out of an old horror novel. It was an ancient, yet sturdy structure that was colored dark brown or black-Daine couldn't tell with his limited visibility. It was two stories tall. Although it appeared threatening, it would provide good shelter.

"It's creepy," Hope commented. "What if this is a dangerous place?"

A thunderclap caused them to wince.

"Forget I said that," Hope said.

Daine tried to pull open the door, and sighed. "It's locked. So much for entering."

"What if someone is here?" Valor asked.

"It's doubtful. Just look at how old the building is. Besides, most people died in the incident," Zari pointed out. "If the people who lived here somehow survived, they would probably not stay here."

"That's true," Varen nodded. "Which is why I thought this would be a good place to stay. But with the door locked, I guess not."

"Daine, what kind of a lock is it?" Zarek inquired.

"Just a rusted padlock," Daine shrugged. "It looks fairly old."

"Stand aside," Zarek ordered. When Daine did so, he brought his switchblade out of his arm and slammed it into the lock several times. The lock broke away.

"Well, that's one way to do it," Ryei commented as they entered the mansion.

The room that they stepped into was quite aged, which made its elegant appearance not as glamorous as it once was. Carpet that had been royal purple was now faded, beautiful curtains filthy, and windows grimy. They walked over layers of dust, which caused Valor and Gaignun to sneeze a couple of times.

"Hello? Anyone home?" Karen called.

"I hope nobody is, or I will have to pay for that lock," Zarek said dryly.

"You don't have to worry about that," Ryei said, looking at the hand rail next to the stairs. "Just look at this place. There's so much dust-it's obvious that nobody has been here for a long time."

"This is not the best area that I could have chosen," Varen complained.

"It is shelter, and we should be grateful for that," Hope stated.

Daine walked up to the staircase and carefully put one foot on the bottom stair. When it held his weight, he proceeded up, using the hand rails. "Let's check the upstairs. We might as well use this time to get some sleep."

"I'll second that," Varen said as they followed him. "Have you guys realized that it has nearly been two days since we slept? I'm exhausted!"

"I think we all are," Karen replied.

Daine examined the first room in the hall, which turned out to be some sort of guest room. There were three beds, all with the head to the wall opposite of the door. A quick look into the room next to it revealed an identical area.

"This will work," Daine decided. "Although we might have to shake out the dust from the sheets. Hope, Karen, and Zari can have the first room. But we don't have enough beds for the rest of us."

"I don't need one," Zarek informed him. "I will sleep on the floor."

Zari gave in to the pleading look Valor was giving her. "Valor can sleep with me."

"Gaignun can stay near me," Hope added.

"I'm not tired just yet," Ryei announced. "I want to explore the mansion a little bit. That leaves the three remaining beds for Daine, Varen, and Yamato."

"That works," Varen agreed. "Good night guys."

"Hold on. I want to look around too," Hope told them. "I just don't think I can sleep."

After pleasantries were exchanged, they went into their rooms. Ryei went downstairs, warily climbing down the stairs. Hope followed him, and then left to go to the ballroom.

Ryei wandered through the rooms, taking in all the details without stopping. Eventually, he came to a closed door, and cautiously opened it.

This room could only be the library. There were several bookshelves, and too many books to count. They were everywhere, including the floor and furniture. Fact, fiction, mysteries, horror, suspense, romance, tragedy, science fiction, literature, mythology, drama, this room held at least one of every book type written.

Ryei was amazed at the sight. After getting over it, he began to run his hand over the titles. Some had worn away with age, but he saw many others that were perfectly intact.

"What a place," Ryei murmured. "If only we could stay here. There are so many books… I could absorb myself in these for days, if not months, or years." He sighed. "Oh well. Maybe I can come back one day. Until then, I might as well make use of the time I have."

He looked over at a stunning red chair that was in the middle of the room. It had books piled on it. Ryei carefully moved them, placing them on the ground next to the wall where many others lay.

"Where to start?" he wondered, gazing at all his options. He looked over at the elegant table in front of the red chair, and was surprised that there was only one book there, when there were so many everywhere else. Out of it emerged a yellow sheet of paper.

"A bookmark? So whoever was here was reading this book…" Ryei said to himself, picking it up. He looked at the title, and raised his eyebrow. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde… that's an interesting choice." He opened the book, turning to the page that was bookmarked. When his eyes fell on the bookmark, he memorized the page number before taking it out.

"There's writing… a poem of some kind?"

_Let me see… how did it all begin?_

_In truth, I think I have always desired this sin._

_Violence, monstrous, torture, blood, and pain,_

_I was always fascinated with these, but does that make me insane?_

_Nevertheless, I must continue what I have started,_

_Genes and cells are nothing, but many more precious things I have parted._

_Really, did I have any choice over my life?_

_Oh, you might think decisions would cause no strife._

_Onwards then, leave me to my thoughts._

_May the secret I hide never be let out, while I search for the answers I sought._

"What kind of a poem is this?" Ryei muttered. "I wonder if this is based of reality or imagination… but why would it just be left here? There's got to be something important about it…" He reread it a few more times.

Suddenly, it dawned upon him. He read it once more. "That's it!" he realized. "Now I see… but what can this mean?" He walked out of the library, closing the door behind him.

"I had best show the others this," he said, going up the stairs.

-----

Zari went to the window to look at the falling rain.

"Are you coming?" Valor asked, pulling back the sheets.

"I will in a second," she answered, seeming distracted.

Valor suddenly caught sight of two golden sparkle. Grasping it quickly, he determined that the sparkles were two keys, kept together by a key ring, and carefully slipped them into his shirt sleeve.

If it was important later, he would show the others, but not until then.

-----

"This must have once been a beautiful place," Hope said, sadly gazing at the room where a crystal chandelier still hung, with several tables pushed to the side.

After some more searching, she saw something that made her smile. "A piano! It's been forever since I've seen, much less played one!" She sat down before it eagerly, looking at the sheet music.

"Numbers? It must be for fingering," Hope muttered, starting to play the song. It had a soft, haunting melody that seemed to fill her with depression. Although she made a few mistakes at first, her older skills eventually took over and soon she was not missing any notes.

When she finished, she followed the repeat sign back to the beginning of the song, and stopped suddenly. "Wait… these can't be fingerings. Some of these numbers just don't make sense!"

She memorized them. "2, 9, 3, 7, 5, 4, 1, 6, 0, 8. But what are these numbers for?"

-----

Daine woke up abruptly. Sitting up, he wondered what had caused him to suddenly awaken. Putting his hand on his head, he found it to be covered with cold sweat.

_A nightmare?_ he thought. _If so, I can't remember it. It was probably just the storm, _he concluded, looking out the window to see rain still coming down.

He looked around the room, wondering if Ryei had come back yet. He immediately saw that he had not. Varen was sleeping peacefully, while Yamato seemed tense even though his eyes were closed. Zarek was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. Daine made a mental note to ask if he was really asleep, since he just couldn't imagine a machine needing time to slumber.

He picked up his pillow, feeling like he needed to do something besides just sit still.

_I guess being asleep for twenty years killed any need I have for any more sleep, even though it has only been a few hours… huh? What's this?_

Where his pillow had been, he found a slip of paper. Picking it up, he scanned it quickly.

_The sun starts its path, twenty paces you should follow its trail._

_The way the needle points, ten more you need to go, count precisely and do not fail._

_At the entrance, pause, and look down._

_Notice the object on the ground._

Daine shook his head in bewilderment. _What the heck is that supposed to mean?_

He was torn out of his thoughts when Ryei entered. He indicated to the hallway. Daine got up instantly and followed him out.

"What is it?" Daine whispered.

"Look at this poem," Ryei replied, handing over the sheet of paper. "Do you notice anything strange about it?"

Daine read it swiftly. "It sounds horrifying, tragic, and mysterious. Is that what you mean?"

"No." He pointed to the first letter on the first line. "See the starting letter of each line?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Read them going vertically."

He looked again. "L-I-V-I-N-G-R-O-O-M. Living room? What is that supposed to mean?"

"That's what I want to know," Ryei told him. "It seems like there is something in the living room that the previous owner of this mansion did not want anyone to find. He might have left that there in case he needed to remember something about it."

"Oh, wait! Maybe this will explain!" Daine showed Ryei the riddle he had uncovered.

Ryei nodded when he was done. "It does. The sun rises in the east… go east twenty steps, in other words. Then go north ten paces, because the needle of a compass always points north. After that, something on the ground stands out."

"You figured that out quickly," Daine said, impressed.

"I've read several books that deal with riddles," he replied. "That one was pretty simple. Try and get some rest. We can tell the others about this in the morning."

"Yeah, let's let them sleep on."

-----

Hope went upstairs and slipped into bed quietly.

_Did you find anything?_ Gaignun asked her. He was already at the foot of her bed.

_Maybe.__ I found several numbers, but I do not know what they are supposed to mean yet._

_Perhaps they will prove important._

_Or maybe not.__ I'll tell the others later._

Hope lay down, giving her companions one last glance. Karen seemed completely relaxed, while Zari had her arm around Valor, which Hope assumed was to comfort the boy.

_We know so little about all of them, _Hope thought.

_They do not know us well either._

_That's true._ She pulled the covers over herself. _Maybe they'll know someday, but not yet. Good night._

-----

Daine opened his eyes to see that it wasn't quite as dark as before. While it was daytime, the storm was still blocking most of the sunlight.

"Morning," Ryei greeted him. He had gone back to the library to sleep on a couch after reading a bit, but once he had seen that nighttime had ended he had come up again.

"Same to you," Daine replied, getting out of bed. "Are we the only two up?"

"No," was Yamato's reply. He had risen as well.

A crash sounded from the room where the girls were sleeping. Varen leapt out of bed.

"Whoa! Did something attack?!"

"That was just Gaignun," Hope told him as the girls entered the room. "He was leaping off of my bed."

"Oh," Varen said sheepishly.

"So it looks like we're all awake," Karen noted.

"Yes," Zarek confirmed as he rose. "But it is still raining. We cannot continue on yet."

"Then maybe we should look into something that Ryei and I found," Daine suggested.

"What would that be?" Varen asked.

Daine and Ryei explained about the pieces of paper they had found, and how their riddles fit together. Hope thought about the numbers she had seen, but said nothing yet.

"So we should look for this something?" Karen concluded.

"Exactly," Daine nodded. "We don't have anything better to do anyway."

"I'm all for that!" Hope voted.

"I think we all are," Varen said. "Let's get down there!"

They descended the stairs quickly but cautiously, and followed Ryei to the living room. It was a fairly large room, about forty feet across.

"Daine, I'm going to read the instructions out loud. You follow them."

Daine nodded, and stepped to the entrance of the living room.

"Twenty paces east."

Counting carefully, Daine stopped at about the middle of the room.

"Then ten north."

Daine halted right before the dining room.

"Stop at the entrance… now we know what that means, it's the entrance to the dining room. In fact, we could have entered that way and completely messed up… it's lucky we didn't. Now, look at the ground. Is there anything unusual?"

Daine kneeled down to examine it. "Not really… wait! There's a rug here… let me move it." He did so, throwing it aside. Dust flew everywhere, causing them all to cough. After it cleared, they looked back over at Daine, who was staring at something.

"We found what we were looking for," Daine told them.

It was a wooden trap door with no handle that they could see. After many tries, Daine finally managed to grasp the side of it to pull it open, revealing a staircase.

"Shall we?" Daine asked.

"You lead," Varen recommended. "We'll follow."

Daine didn't trust these stairs any more than the ones to the second floor, but they held. As he carefully made his way down, he couldn't help but wonder if the last line in the poem Ryei had found would be revealed here.

He finally stepped onto firm land again, in a tunnel. The others soon arrived.

"Well, there's only one way to go," Zarek pointed out.

They walked down the tunnel, which didn't take any turns. It turned out to be a short trip. At the end, they found two doors. Both had padlocks on them.

"These things again?" Daine muttered. He looked at them quickly. "Zarek, you won't be able to break these. They are much more sturdy than the one outside."

"Do they require a password or a key?" Valor inquired.

"A key. Is anyone here good at lock picking?" Daine questioned.

"No, but maybe these will help," Valor suggested, handing over the two keys he had found.

"Where did you get these?" Daine asked.

"I found them hidden in the bed sheets."

"It's a good thing you did," Daine said, taking the keys from him and inserting one into the center door. "Drat, that one didn't work. Let me try the other one… ah, there it goes."

He cautiously pushed open the door, revealing many bookshelves and even more books. There was another locked door, but it wouldn't open to either of the keys.

Ryei was looking at the titles of the books. "All of these seem to be record books for experiments, or on science. The next room might be a laboratory."

Karen opened one book that she found laying out on one of the bookshelves. After reading it a bit, she shook her head. "Just listen to this."

_October 24, 1990___

_I am quite curious at what causes the specimen to act the way it does. The first time I had it, it would always express its hatred toward me, trying anything to kill me. Now it does not focus on that as much, as if it has no reason to live. But then again, it might be understandable. But I do not love anything, except my work, so I will never know._

_The specimen reacted badly to being injected with poison. Although it tried to hide it, I could see the severe pain it was in. The blood tests read that the poison is completely gone though. I don't understand where I went wrong, but in the case of this specimen, I am glad that it did._

_October 25, 1990___

_Most intriguing indeed! When burned, the specimen healed instantly, or so it appeared. Yet it couldn't conceal the agony it was going though… tears of pain, unable to say anything, not even how much it hated me. How pathetic. Yet I must be growing soft-that was the only experiment I decided to do today. I have more liquids I must test._

_October 26, 1990___

_The specimen has done well when cut, always mending. This time, I kept slicing to the bone. Every time, it healed. Breaking the same arm had an identical result, even when repeated. Although completely recovered, with not even a scar remaining to show what had happened, that arm was useless, even when I left it. How strange... the body healed, why not the pain?_

_I must continue with the experiments. I must understand what went wrong, and if it is the only thing that I did wrong. I am in no hurry though-I have all the time in the world, after all. Many more nights of observation for me… and of torture for the specimen…_

Karen put the book down. "I can't read on… these are too inhumane! There were even flecks of blood on the pages!"

"Did it ever say what this 'specimen' was?" Hope asked, looking sickened.

"No. I wonder what kind of a creature it could be," Karen muttered.

"It's probably inside that laboratory, if it's still alive," Ryei said, indicating to the locked door.

"Poor thing…" Hope said sadly. "Nothing deserves to go through what that book said."

"We will get nothing but more sorrow from this area," Zari stated. "Let's go back outside. Maybe the other key will work on that other door."

"Good point," Daine replied.

"Wait!" Valor called. "Look at this!"

They went over to the desk and saw what Valor was indicating to. It was a Duel Disk, with a deck sitting next to it.

"What on earth are these doing here?" Varen wondered.

"I don't know," Daine answered. "But somehow, it doesn't seem to belong."

They stepped outside, and Daine put the second key into the lock. It clicked open, and they stepped inside.

It was almost completely empty, save for one object. A black coffin lay there, locked with yet another padlock.

Karen paled. "A coffin! But why would someone leave a coffin here? Is there… a body inside?"

"Well, that's what coffins are for," Varen reminded her. "But why padlock a coffin? That seems kind of stupid… I can't think of anyone who would want to steal decayed flesh or bones."

"Besides, this is a padlock that requires a pass code," Daine told them.

"A pass code? Daine, can I look?" Hope asked.

"Go ahead."

"Let me try something." She turned the lock, muttering, "2, 9, 3, 7, 5, 4, 1, 6, 0, 8…"

She tried to pull it open. Nothing happened.

"Where did you get those numbers?" Ryei inquired.

"I found them on sheet music for the piano in the ballroom, but they didn't make any sense as fingerings," Hope explained. "But I guess it didn't work after all."

Yamato looked at the lock again. "Try 29, 37, 54, 16, and 08."

"Good idea!" She quickly inserted the numbers. This time, when she pulled, the padlock opened.

"Well, let's see what's in there," Daine said.

"You can't be serious," Varen protested.

"I am." Before they could stop him, Daine slid away the lid of the coffin.

Inside it was something nobody had expected. Instead of remains, the man that lay inside looked almost alive. He wore a short sleeve dark red t-shirt and black pants, with black shoes. His silver hair went down to about his waist. He also had on a black cape. Around his neck was what looked like an iron collar. There were no symbols on it-it was just a metal band, with no visible way to take it off. His skin was pale white, as though he had not been in the sunlight for a long time, if ever.

Everyone stared in silence for a few minutes, before Hope stepped forward. She gingerly touched his hand, drawing back immediately with a shiver. "He's as cold as ice."

"So he's dead?" Karen whispered.

Hope pressed her hand against his chest, taking them off after a few seconds, and then gently held her fingers up to his neck. After a few minutes of trying that, she grasped his wrist, and then set it down again. "Yes. His heart is not beating, and he has no pulse."

"But how can he still look like this?" Ryei wondered. "If he had really died, we wouldn't be seeing something like this… instead there would just be bones, or something."

Daine lightly brushed his fingers over the man's hand. "I think I know what happened. He's asleep."

"Asleep?" Varen said in disbelief.

"Yes. When certain injections are used, the person's heart will slow down, and the blood will stop running until they are awake." He pressed his hand against the man's chest as Hope had done, and waited. After many seconds, his patience was rewarded when he felt a heart beat. "Yeah, I feel his heart. You just didn't wait long enough Hope. He's alive, but asleep."

"By injection?" Zarek asked.

"That's right. Look here." He brought up the man's right arm, showing them a small needle embedded into his flesh, held by a strap. "It continues to inject the fluid through this. He also has a similar one on his left arm."

"But why would somebody put him to sleep?" Karen murmured.

"We have no way of knowing, except to ask him." Daine pulled out the needles gently, setting them back into the coffin. Then he turned to Zarek. "Could you carry him upstairs?"

"Yes. So that means he will not wake up instantly?" Zarek inquired, easily lifting the man's frail body.

"It looks like he's been asleep for a long time, so I'm not sure how long it will take," Daine informed them. "But now that the needles are out, it's only a matter of waiting for the last injection's effects to wear off."

"How do you know this much about injections?" Varen questioned.

"I've just learned things here and there, that's all," Daine responded. Hope, Yamato, and Karen could tell he did not want to mention what they had discussed in the restaurant, so they let his lie slide.

As they left, Valor looked over at the room with the books. "What if that Duel Disk and deck belongs to this man?"

"Good point," Ryei nodded. "I'll bring it up with us."

After Ryei emerged from the room with the Duel Disk and deck, Daine locked the two doors again. "There's no point in leaving these open right now. If we need to come back down, we can always unlock it."

-----

The climb upstairs was quick. Once there, Zarek laid the man on one of the beds. He still did not move.

Daine looked outside at the rain. "When the storm is over, we need to leave this place. If this man is still asleep, Zarek, would you carry him when we leave?"

"Of course."

"I guess we can just relax until it is time to leave," Daine stated.

"I'm going outside," Varen announced. "I'll be back soon." With that, he left the room.

"I'll be in the library," Ryei told them.

"It's been a while since I've read. I'll join you once I've checked something," Daine said.

"See you there," Ryei replied before leaving.

"I'm going to check out that piano again," Hope stated before she exited, Gaignun following.

"Karen and I must discuss something," Yamato informed what remained of the group before they went to the other guest room, shutting the door behind them.

"I feel like those record books below hold something important," Zari confessed.

"You can't go down there again. We have no idea what might happen. It was lucky that nothing occurred the first time we were there."

"I know. I just don't like this feeling I'm getting." Zari moved towards the door before pausing. "Valor, I want to talk to you. Let's go to the living room." Valor nodded, and they went downstairs.

"What about you Zarek?" Daine asked.

"I will stay with this man," he decided. "If there is any change, I'll tell you."

"Thanks," Daine said. He gently lifted the man's arm again, looking at where the needle had been. He wanted to see if the wound it would have left was bleeding.

There was no puncture. The skin looked as though it had never been broken.

_Well, they were very small needles… the ones I were injected with didn't leave any injuries. Hm… _

"See you later," he said to Zarek before leaving.

-----

Ryei was reading Redwall in the red chair when Daine came in. He was so absorbed in the book that he didn't even look up at Daine's arrival.

Daine looked over at the bookshelf, and saw, to his surprise, Dracula. He smiled at the irony of it. The man they had found had looked much like a vampire, but he somehow doubted that vampires were able to be put to sleep through injections.

_It's still a good book_, he reminded himself. Picking it up, he settled down to read on a couch.

-----

_So what do you think of that man?_ Hope asked as she played the mournful tune on the piano.

_He has had years upon years of suffering, with no pause to his torture. There is a great sorrow that clouds his heart. That is all that I can tell._

_Torture?__ How was he tortured?_

_I cannot tell. It might be physical, but it is more likely to be mental._

_Can we trust him?  
I do not know. My instincts say yes though, because we were the ones who helped him._

_You have a point._

----

"So what do you think about all of this?" Karen asked.

Yamato sighed. "We may be wanted, but it isn't like we are usually greeted with open arms either, being bounty hunters. This really doesn't change things for us."

"What do you think about the group though?" Karen inquired. "I think they're pretty cool to be with."

"We will have to leave them soon," Yamato reminded her.

"I know! I just… you know, thought we could get to know them," she said.

"You can. I wouldn't bother though," Yamato stated.

"You're probably right." Karen lay back on the bed. "Still no word from the boss?"

"None."

"Then there's no point in leaving yet. Let's stick with them for now at least."

"For now."

-----

"Valor, you are aware of how dangerous this is for you?" Zari asked. "As long as you are with us, you will be pursued. Are you sure you want to stay with me?"

"Of course I am! I don't have anywhere else to go. And you're the only person I trust." Valor looked away. "Unless you want me to leave…"

Zari shook her head. "Actually, that is something that I really do not want to occur. Over the short time I've known you, I've grown to care for you a lot. I was hoping you would feel a sense of security if I was around, but after that fight…"

"That doesn't matter. You fought for me, risked your life to save me. I felt like it would be my fault if you died," Valor confessed.

"No, it will never be your fault if I die. I have chosen to protect you, and I will keep that promise," Zari assured. "There's something else though."

"Yes?"

She unbuckled something wrapped around her shoulder, and handed it to him. Valor carefully drew the silver dagger from its scabbard.

"If I do ever fall, you must have a way to defend yourself. I hope that this will give you some chance in surviving."

"It's perfect! Thank you," Valor said, putting the dagger back into its scabbard. "But I'll never have to use it… you'll always be there to help me, right?"

_Let us hope so,_ Zari thought.

"I have one question though," Valor told her.

"Yes?"

"Why do you care about me? What is it about me that makes you want to help me?"

Zari stared out of the window, watching the rain poring down, while remembering.

"Because you remind me of myself."

-----

Zarek was also looking outside, thinking as he did so.

_My life has only been about serving those who called upon me for missions. But now… I actually have people who care about what happens to me, and each other. It's foreign to me… I've been separated too long from these kinds of feelings._

He looked over at the man, who was still asleep. It had been a few hours, yet he had not even moved. Zarek looked out the window again before getting up to go over to the man. He gently laid his right hand on the man's left arm.

That was when he felt something that had not been there before. It was a small pulse.

Zarek went into the hall quickly, down to the library, and knocked on the door.

Daine shook his head as Ryei started to get up. "No, let me. I'll check it out."

He closed the door behind himself. "What is it Zarek?"

"The man has a pulse now."

"That means he's waking up," Daine said. "Alright, I'll check it out. Make sure nobody else comes in-I don't want him to feel surrounded."

"Affirmative."

Daine ran into the room, seeing that the man still lay there. He held the man's right arm, and indeed felt a steady pulse. After letting it go, he stepped back a few paces and waited.

The man stirred restlessly, and then tried to open his eyes, only to have them forced shut by the light. Daine recalled his first moment at having seen light for twenty years as a painful one, and turned them off.

"Sorry about that," he apologized.

The man's eyes flew open again, and he forced himself to try and sit up.

"Relax. I mean no harm," Daine tried to assure him.

The man turned his gaze to Daine, who stiffened at the sight of them. They were blood-red.

"Are you alright?" Daine asked, trying to shake off the shock he had witnessed.

"…No." The man lifted his hand to examine the iron collar around his neck. Then he let it fall as he leaned against the headboard.

_That was an idiotic question to ask… _"What happened to you?"

"…" The man was examining the room. "I have no reason to explain myself to you."

"True."

"How did you find me?"

Daine took out the papers and keys that they had found, and explained how they had come here and the way they had come to the two rooms underneath the mansion.

The man shook his head. "I know that other room all too well… how I would love to look at those books that are there."

"You can," Daine offered. "We have to leave soon, but you can stay here and read them."

"No. I will not stay here. There are too many memories here…" The man trailed off, looking out of the window. Then he turned to Daine again. "I will leave this place, but I have no idea where to go."

"Then come with us," Daine suggested. "We may be wanted, but we aren't planning on getting caught. If you accompany us, you can leave when we reach the Capital or something. I'm sure you could find somewhere to stay there."

The man stared at the wall opposite of him. Daine let him think as he waited. Finally, the man nodded. "I will accompany you, but only for a short time. I prefer solitude to anything else. The only reasons I am coming is because I have no idea of what the outside world is like anymore, and I feel as though I owe you and your friends."

"What do you mean?" Daine inquired.

The man seemed to hesitate. "I was kept in this mansion against my will. Let us leave it at that."

Knowing he would not share any more information, Daine accepted the explanation. "Can you stand now?"

The man tried to rise, using the bed as support. After a few seconds, he managed to stay up. "Yes."

"Just relax for now. We're going to leave, but not until the rain has stopped. I'll introduce you to my companions when we're ready to go. Is that ok?"

"It's fine." The man sat back down.

Daine left the room to give the man some time to be alone. He sensed something strange about him, as though he had gone through much pain and had nothing left to live on for. He shook off the feeling as he went back downstairs.

The man was thinking about the last thing he could remember. No, it wasn't the fact that he had been asleep for so long that filled him with sorrow. It was a much deeper memory… one he could still remember as though it was yesterday.

And once again, he pushed the memory aside. He refused to think about it. It was too much for him to accept, that he had really done it.

Yet he knew he had. And the only way to deal with it was to act as though it didn't matter. Which it didn't, anymore. Or so he kept telling himself.

-----

Varen stepped inside the house, closing it behind himself, and called out, "Hey, guys! It's stopped raining!"

"Are you sure?" Daine asked as he emerged from the library, Ryei following. "Does it look like it will start again?"

"Nope, the sky's clear now. We'd best get a move on-it's only noon, which gives us plenty of time to get moving."  
Daine frowned. "Normally, I'd wait the rest of the day, since any mud we come into will surely slow us down. But we just don't have the luxury of wasting time. Ryei, can you tell Hope, Zarek, Zari, and Valor that we are leaving? I'll get Yamato, Karen, and the man we found."

"He woke up?" Varen inquired.

"Yes. You'll talk to him in a few minutes," Daine told him.

"I can do that," Ryei agreed. Then he walked up to Varen and slammed his hardcover book over Varen's head.

"OW! What the heck was that for?!"

"That's for interrupting me while I was reading. Now I will have to reread the entire chapter." Ryei walked off to get the others while Varen muttered a few unpleasant things about Ryei under his breath. Daine climbed back upstairs, and knocked on the guest room door. Karen opened it.

"Is it time to go?"

"Yep. Go downstairs and meet up with the others in the front. I'll be there shortly."

After the duo had left, Daine knocked on the other door as well, before opening it.

"What is it?" the man asked, relaxing when he saw who it was.

"We're leaving now. Are you ready?"

"Yes." This time, the man was able to stand up easily enough.

They descended downstairs. Daine went up to the others, indicating to the man.

"It's all right. He's an ally at least."

Gaignun's hackles went up, and he snarled. _There is something wrong with his scent. It is so alien! I did not notice before, but now…_

_Can we trust him?_ Hope asked, alarmed.

_I do not know yet._

"What's wrong with him?" Karen inquired, looking at Gaignun.

"Oh… it's nothing." Hope tried to smile at the man. "It's nice to meet you, mister… what is your name?"

"You may call me Ark," he replied, his eyes examining the others.

Ryei carefully observed him. _Those red eyes… something about him is wrong. I cannot tell what though._

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Hope, and you already know Daine. That's Varen, he's Ryei, she's Karen, he's Yamato, he's Zarek, he's Valor, and she's Zari. Did Daine already inform you on our situation?"

"Yes."

"Then you know that we are in danger. Are you coming with us?"

"I have no choice," Ark shrugged.

"You might be injured or killed if you come with us."

To everyone's surprise, Ark laughed coldly at that.

"You won't need to worry about that happening."

"We can debate all day, but we need to get moving," Varen interrupted.

"You're right. Let's get out of here," Daine agreed.

Ryei hesitated though. "Hold on. I almost forgot something." He then left for the library.

In a few minutes he was back, holding the Duel Disk and deck that they had found below the mansion.

"By any chance, are these yours?" he asked Ark.

Ark took the deck, and drew a few cards from it.

"Yes, these are mine."

Ryei handed the Duel Disk over as well, before stepping outside with the others.

Ark was the last to leave, looking back into the mansion.

"And so the nightmare began here, yet it will not end, even though I shall finally leave," Ark muttered to himself. Then he closed the door.

Ryei overheard him, but said nothing. Nobody else seemed to notice.

-----

Their walk was made in silence, although many of them were tempted to ask questions about their new companion. One look into his red eyes would cause them change their mind though.

After some time, they came into a muddy area. Crossing it was an annoyance, and took some time. Valor had too much trouble and could not go on-Zari had to carry him.

Yamato tripped on the way, nearly falling. He used his sword to stop himself from plunging into the ground, and then leaned on it as a crude walking staff.

As Daine walked past the area where Yamato stumbled, he noticed something on the ground and picked it up. He didn't bother to look at it until they were out of the mud and on firm ground though.

It was a picture of a woman. She wore a purple and white long-sleeved shirt with white shorts, held by a silver belt. She had on brown, clear stockings that were difficult to see unless looked at closely. She had on a purple glove on her left hand, and on each of her arms was a black band of some kind. At her neck was a silver collar-like item with a blue gem. Her skin was a soft brown, and her ears were pointed. Her silver hair was kept in a high ponytail, and she too had red eyes. They did not seem as hard as Ark's though.

Daine beckoned to Karen. She came over to him, and he showed her the picture. "Do you recognize this woman? I think Yamato might have dropped this…"

Karen shook her head. "No, I've never seen her. Can I look at this?" She turned over the picture. "There's a date on the back… that's strange. It says September 24, 2092. That was only a month before he met me…" Karen handed it back. "I wonder why he didn't mention her to me?"

Daine was interrupted by Yamato's snarl of rage.

"How the hell did you get that?!"

"You dropped it," Daine stated, offering it. Yamato snatched it back, glaring at him.

"Don't ever look at my stuff again. Never." He fingered the hilt of his sword before turning around and stomping off.

"Why was he so mad? It isn't like I damaged it or anything…" Daine muttered. By then, Zari had finally emerged from the muddy area, and they could continue on, so Daine didn't ponder on it for long.

Karen was slightly disturbed though. _Why hasn't Yamato ever told me about this woman? Is he trying to hide something from me?_

-----

They tried to avoid all of the muddy parts that they could after that. Luckily, there weren't that many.

The quiet trip was suddenly interrupted by a beeping sound that came from Yamato. He looked around quickly. "Continue on. Karen, come with me. We'll be back shortly." Then they ran off.

"Zarek, fall to the back and keep an eye out for them, would you?" Daine requested.

"Sure."

They continued on without pause.

-----

"All clear," Karen reported as they arrived in a small clearing.

Yamato took out a black device and set it on the ground, pressing a silver button. The screen on it lit up, and a hologram appeared above it in a beam of light. The woman wore a combination of dark and light green long sleeved shirt and pants. She wore a red hat over her blonde hair, which was in one long braid. Her skin was soft brown as well. She also had glasses, but they did not conceal her violet eyes.

Right now, she seemed extremely angry. "Yamato! Karen! What have you two been doing?!"

"Looking for Benjamin White," Karen stated. "That was the last command you gave to us."

"You've been slacking off again, haven't you?! He's already been killed!"

"What? Someone got to him before us?" Karen asked.

"Of course someone else took your kill! That's what happens when you don't work quickly!" the woman shouted.

"We get the point, Rico," Karen replied, rubbing her ears.

"I'll give you three guesses at who killed him."

"It's obvious," Yamato growled. "I only know of one man who'd get to it before we did."

"But usually, he doesn't. That shows just how lazy you two have become! Get moving, or else your future will be filled with lead!"

"Yes ma'am," Karen said. "What are your next orders?"

"You have none right now. Just don't be as slow next time! And quit drawing attention to yourselves! Now both of you are listened on the want ads, for some reason I don't even care to remember! We may already be on the top of the list for being bounty hunters, but don't announce who you are to the world!"

"We get the point," Karen repeated with a groan.

"Then stay in touch. Be prepared for my next orders." The hologram faded out.

Karen sighed. "Geez! I thought she was going to shout at us until the next century."

"We were lucky," Yamato stated. "At least she did not kill us."

Karen nodded, remembering the bounty hunter saying: _If Rico says jump, you ask how high._

"Let's get back to the rest of the group, or they'll grow suspicious," Karen told Yamato.

He shrugged, and they started back towards them.

-----

"So what was that all about?" Varen asked as Yamato and Karen walked back in.

"Mind your own damn business," Yamato said.

"Excuse me," Varen muttered.

After that was a few peaceful minutes while they kept walking, when suddenly they heard something. It was footsteps, coming from the left side.

Gaignun snarled. _I do not recognize this scent…_

"It could be an enemy," Hope said quietly.

Yamato slowly drew his sword. "Let me deal with this," he whispered.

As the figure emerged into view, he lunged, the sharp sword whistling through the air as it came towards its victim.

To be continued…


	7. Rivals

I'm sorry about not updating this for a while. They should come much more quickly now!

John: Thanks.

Demon Fan: Nah, Daine loves his Retrained Elven Swordsman. And as for Ark's deck, you'll have to wait and see.

**Chapter 7: Rivals**

Yamato lunged, his sword at the ready. At the last second though, he managed to change the direction of his blade. It slammed to the left of the girl he had aimed it for, barely missing her.

She wore a blue skirt with dark blue shorts underneath them, and a short blue and white shirt. She had on long white socks, and white and blue platform shoes of some sort. Even with this height boost, she was pretty short. She also had on a blue band on each of her wrists, and a blue and white, round hat. Her hair was an interesting pink and almost hit her shoulders. Her eyes were a soft brown. What was curious about her was her pointed ears.

She had fallen backwards in fright when she was nearly killed. She shakily got up, watching Yamato warily as he pulled out the sword from the ground and put it back into its sheath. She got over her shock pretty quickly though.

"What do you think you are doing?! That could have killed me, nyah!" she exclaimed.

"That was the point," Yamato stated. He was examining her, when he caught sight of her pointed ears.

_Those ears… they look like… hers…_ He quickly shook it off though when the girl started yelling at him again.

"So every new person you meet you try to kill? Have you ever heard of the term politeness?! Nyah! Just because I happen to be a newcomer doesn't mean that you have to slay me!" she ranted.

"We're sorry," Karen apologized. "It's just that we've been followed by some enemies lately. We thought you might have been trying to attack us or something."

"Elly sees… but still, that's no excuse for killing whoever happens to be nearby, nyah."

"Eh? Who's Elly?" Varen inquired.

Hope looked over at her with interest. "You speak in third person?"

"Sometimes," Elly shrugged. "It's just a habit, nyah."

"Yeah, another thing. What the heck is 'nyah' supposed to mean?" Varen asked.

"Again, it's just something I say occasionally out of habit. There's no real meaning to it."

"So what are you doing here?" Daine questioned.

"To tell you the truth… Elly got lost," she said sheepishly. "I'm trying to find a companion of mine, but I don't know this area well."

"I'm afraid we don't either," Zari stated.

"We can still try to help you find your friend," Hope suggested. "After all, it is safer to travel in numbers."

"Thanks, that'd be great, nyah!" she replied.

_Gaignun__, start trying to find her friend, alright?___

_Of course.___

_Oh, by the way, what do you think of her?_

_She is innocent enough for me to trust her._

They started off again. After a few minutes of walking, Karen beckoned to Yamato. They fell to the back of the group.

"What's the problem?"

"That girl… I recognize her," Karen told him.

"You do?"

"Yeah. Remember when you were battling… him? One time, she knocked you away with an explosion of some sort, right before you were about to kill him."

"Now that you mention it… I do recall that. But why did she help him?"

"We'll find out soon enough. At least she doesn't recognize us yet."

"True."

The trip was made mostly in silence, in hopes that they would hear something that would betray Elly's companion's presence.

At last, Gaignun contacted Hope. _I think I might have found him. At least, I have picked up the faint scent of someone._

_Good! How far away is he?_

Gaignun's ears went up. _He is very nearby. He is coming closer this very minute. He will be here in a short amount of time._ He snarled out loud.

"What's the matter with your dog, nyah?" Elly inquired.

"He's a wolf, not a dog. And he must sense someone coming," Hope answered.

"A wolf? Elly had no idea. And if someone is coming, it might be the one I'm looking for, nyah."

"Possibly. Let's wait and find out," Hope suggested.

They didn't have long to wait. Just seconds after she said that, they caught sight of the man emerging from the trees.

He wore a blue shirt that looked like a combination of a normal long-sleeved shirt, shoulder armor, and chest armor. The chest armor part had some purple areas on it as well. He also had on dark blue fingerless gloves that had a white symbol on the back of each that seemed to resemble a circle. He wore dark blue pants and blue boots, which had purple soles that really stood out. He also had an elegant blue and white headband, but it was mostly covered up by his short brown hair. His blue eyes were sharp and seemed to miss nothing.

It was too quick for anyone to understand. Yamato threw himself at the man with a howl of rage, his sword slicing through the air as it came down at the man. The man was ready though. He quickly drew forth a silver katana. Although it looked much more thin and frail compared to Yamato's sword, he successfully blocked the strike aimed for him. Yamato dropped back, glaring at him with hatred.

"Hey! Elly thought you didn't normally try to kill those you have just met, nyah!" Elly protested.

The man's eyes darted over to her. "Elly, get over here."

"Alright," she responded, darting over to his side.

"What were you doing with them?"

"Well, they volunteered to help me find you…"

"And why weren't you waiting where I asked you to stay?" he demanded.

"Elly got… kind of bored…" she muttered, not looking him in the eyes. "So I wandered off…"

He sighed. "And you accepted their help? Don't you even know who those two are?" He indicated to Yamato and Karen.

Elly looked over at them. "I kind of thought they looked a little familiar, but I can't tell where I've seen them before, nyah…"

"Simple. He's Yamato, and she's Karen, and they are part of the Black Hounds."

Elly's eyes widened. "Oh! Now Elly remembers them!"

"I'm completely lost," Varen complained. "Who is that guy, and what are the Black Hounds supposed to be?"

Karen was looking at the man warily. "His name is Blake. I mentioned before that we are bounty hunters, right?"

"What the hell?!" Varen shouted.

"That's news to me," Ryei stated. "It seems you forgot to mention it to some of us."

"Oh, that's right. I told Daine and Hope, but the rest of you weren't there at the time. Yamato and I are bounty hunters, but we don't have a mission right now. We did, but our target was killed first. That's why we decided to stay with Daine and Hope until Hope paid Yamato back for his motorcycle, since she kind of caused it to explode."

Varen looked over to Hope. "You are going to tell us all of the details on that later. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Hope grumbled.

"The group that we work with is called the Black Hounds," Karen explained. "This man, called Blake, often intercepts our missions, killing our victim before we can. That was what happened on the mission we had before joining up with you guys. However, we are usually quicker and can kill who we were assigned to before he can. But if anyone ever beats us to it, it'll be Blake."

"What part does Elly play in this?" Daine inquired.

"We've only seen her once," Karen shrugged. "Yamato was about to kill Blake, but Elly sent some kind of blast at him, catching both of us. When the smoke cleared, they were gone. We didn't see her again afterwards, so we never found out much about her."

"I'm surprised," Blake stated. "You two often stay alone. To put yourselves with a group of other people is quite unusual."

"Don't get used to it," Yamato growled.

_What do you think about all of this?_ Hope thought.

_It is strange. Yamato and Blake smell somewhat similar._

_Similar?___

_Yes. They both have a scent that is definitely not identical, yet a little bit alike. As for what I think of Blake himself, he has killed many, yet there is more to him than meets the eye._

Blake shook his head. "I doubt you will let me leave without a fight?"

"You'd best believe that," was his reply.

"Actually, I'd prefer a duel," Blake told him. "That way, nobody will get hurt… namely, me."

Yamato glared at him before sheathing his sword. "Fine."

"It's strange," Karen commented. "In all of the times we've fought him, we've never seen Blake duel. I wonder why he felt like dueling this time?"

"Who knows?" Varen shrugged. "It could be that he's outnumbered, that Elly is here, or maybe he just doesn't feel like fighting."

Before anyone had time to consider that, the two duelists were ready to begin.

"I will use Jackal Paladin as my Deck Master," Yamato announced as the Egyptian monster appeared.

"Very well. I will choose Servant of Horus."

The monster that appeared resembled a man. He had on a white shirt with no sleeves and long white pants. On each of his hands was a gold, white, and blue fingerless glove that covered his wrists as well. Further up his arms was a gold armlet. He had a royal blue cape on as well. His face was concealed by the gold hood that he wore. His clothes resembled something an Egyptian would wear, and Daine found it ironic that both of their Deck Masters would have that similarity.

Yamato: 8000

Blake: 8000

"Since I challenged you, you may go first," Blake offered.

"Gladly," Yamato snarled, drawing. "I lay two cards down, and one monster in defense mode. Your turn."

"I will summon Spear Dragon. (1900/0) Spear Dragon attacks your defense monster."

"You've destroyed my Poison Mummy. (1000/1800) Due to his reverse effect, you lose 500 Life Points."

"And you lose 100."

"What?"

"Spear Dragon does damage to you even if your monster is in defense mode. However, my Spear Dragon goes into defense mode as well."

Yamato: 7900

Blake: 7500

"I will also lay a card down, and then end my turn."

Yamato smirked when he saw when he had drawn. "While pathetic, this will work. I summon Swarm of Scarabs. (500/1000) They attack your Spear Dragon."

"…You must be kidding me."

"Not at all. On main phase two, I use my Scarab's effect to flip them to face down defense mode. Then I end my turn."

"I will summon Black Forest Witch. (1100/1200) She attacks."

"And I activate Magic Cylinder. Your attack is negated, and you take damage equal to your monster's attack."

Yamato: 7900

Blake: 6400

"Fine then. It's your turn."

"I'll flip my Swarm of Scarabs. This allows me to destroy your Black Forest Witch. Now I summon Royal Bodyguards. (1600/1700) Both of my monsters attack directly."

Yamato: 7900

Blake: 4300

"I will flip my Scarabs and Bodyguards face down, and lay one card down. It's your turn."

"It looks like it is time to get serious. When you destroyed my Black Forest Witch, you triggered her effect, allowing me to search my deck for one monster with 1500 defense or less and add it to my hand. I just need to finish shuffling my deck… there, done. Now I summon Black Flare Dragon of Horus lv 4. (1600/1000) It attacks your Scarabs. Then I end my turn. This allows me to activate my Horus' effect, since I killed a monster with him in battle this turn. By sacrificing him, I can special summon a Black Flare Dragon of Horus Lv 6 (2300/1600) from my deck."

"I'm not exactly impressed," Yamato stated.

"You shouldn't be yet. Just wait until next turn," Blake smirked.

"If you say so. I lay one monster in defense mode, one card down, and end my turn."

"I lay one monster in defense mode as well, and then order Horus to attack your new defense monster."

"I will activate Traveler's Riddle in response. Now you have to guess whether the card in my hand is a monster, magic, or trap card. If you guess correctly, your attack goes through. If you don't, then your monster is sent back to your hand. I only have one card in my hand, so take a guess."

"Hm… monster."

"You're right… it is my Locust Soldiers. (1000/500) Horus destroyed another Poison Mummy."

Yamato: 7900

Blake: 3800

"Then I will end my turn. Now I can activate my Horus' effect, as he destroyed a monster in battle as well. By sacrificing him, my Black Flare Dragon of Horus Lv 8 (3000/1800) is special summoned from my deck."

"It may have high attack, but I can destroy it," Yamato told him.

"So you think. Take your turn."

"With pleasure. I lay one monster in defense mode, and one card down. I'm done."

"Then this will have to be game."

"What makes you say that?"

"I sacrifice my face down Cave Dragon (1300/2000) to summon Android Psycho Shocker! (2400/1500) This will negate all of your trap cards."

"That's going to be a problem," Varen commented. "His Traveler's Riddle is useless now."

"Thank you Captain Obvious," Yamato said sarcastically.

"Android Psycho Shocker attacks your Royal Bodyguards. Now I'll have Horus attack your new monster as well."

"I activate my Book of Moon! This instant magic card forces your Horus to go into face down defense mode!"

"I think not," Blake smirked. Horus examined the magic card that had just revealed itself for a minute before shooting a black beam out of its mouth at it. The Book of Moon was pierced through, and shattered.

"What the hell was that?!" Yamato exclaimed.

"Horus has quite a unique effect. As long as he is on the field, I can choose to negate any magic card you play."

"...Damn you."

"Now, what monster did Horus destroy?"

"My Locust Soldiers. My turn, I assume." Yamato stared at the card he had drawn. "Well, I can't do anything else anyway. Activate Black Hole, destroying all monsters on the field."

"Horus can use his effect as many times as I want. With no cards in your hand, it is safe to assume that you have lost. I summon Black Flare Dragon of Horus Lv 4. (1600/1000) Then I activate Raise Dead on your Royal Body Guards, just to add some insult to injury. Now all four of my monsters attack you."

Yamato: 0

Blake: 3800

"I have three words for those Horus cards," Varen stated. "Cheap. As. Hell."

"Not bad Yamato," Blake said, turning off his Duel Disk. "You lived longer than most that face me. But still, I expected more from you. You aren't as good of a duelist as I thought you would be."

"Care to say that again?" Yamato snarled, drawing his sword.

"Actually, no, I do not. I know not to push my luck too far. Elly, we're leaving."

"Alright." She waved to the others as they walked off. "Bye, nyah!"

Soon they were gone, lost among the trees.

"I'll get him next time," Yamato muttered, putting up his sword.

"Yeah. When you face him again, you'll know what to expect," Karen agreed.

"Will that be enough though?" Varen wondered.

Yamato glared at him.

"I mean, of course you'll win!" Varen said hurriedly.

"As entertaining as that was, we should be moving on," Zari pointed out.

"Yeah, let's go," Hope seconded.

They started walking again. After about ten minutes though, Ryei called a halt.

"I have a brief request," Ryei stated.

"Alright, let's hear it," Hope replied.

"See this tree?" He indicated to a tree nearby that seemed much bigger and older. It looked like some sort of oak tree. "I recognize it. We are nearing my home. I was wondering if we could stop there for the night."

"I don't see a problem with that," Daine said. "In fact, it would probably be for the better, since it will save us from having to sleep outside. Does anyone have any objections?"

Nobody spoke up.

"Then that settles it," Hope concluded. "Just lead the way Ryei."

"Sure, thanks." He started to walk in the correct direction.

That was when Gaignun suddenly snarled.

_Someone's here!_

Before Hope could warn anyone, a crack sounded through the clearing. Hope dived at Daine, knocking him down as a bullet flew through where Daine had been standing seconds ago.

Everyone immediately brought forth their weapons besides Ryei, since he only brought them out at the last minute of an attack, Valor, and Ark. In fact, now that Daine thought about it, Ark didn't have any kind of weapon.

"Nice assassination attempt, but as you can see, it failed," Varen said.

"We were hoping this would be easier, but it seems as if it won't," a man replied, stepping out from the trees. He had blonde hair and light brown eyes. Following him were ten other men. Judging by their official uniforms, they were soldiers.

"And what do you all want?" Hope demanded, although they all had a good idea of what it was.

"We are from the military. Since you are on the want list, we have been ordered to hunt you down and preferably capture you all. However, if we will have to kill, then so be it. Surrender quietly so that we will not have to resort to that."

"What makes you think we will do that?" Karen asked. "After all, you must notice this weapon of mine. It has the potential to kill all of you in one pull of the trigger. Even if some of manage to survive, we always have other fighters."

"Then let us do this in a way that does not involve bloodshed," the leader proposed. He brought forth a Duel Disk. "I challenge one of you to a duel. Who would like to accept?"

"I haven't dueled in a while," Ryei stated. "I'll accept."

"Come to think of it, we haven't ever seen you duel," Daine said.

"Well, now you will."

"And your name?"

"I'm called Ryei. You?"

"Call me James. Let us begin!

To be continued…


	8. Destructive Collision

Sorry for the delay, I was feeling lazy again.

Captain Obvious: But it's so much fun to use Captain Obvious. Thanks for the compliments BTW.

John: Think as you will.

**Chapter 8: Destructive Collision**

"So, what will your Deck Master be?" James asked. "I'll be using Hellish General-Mephisto!"

They instantly saw why it was called Hellish. Although its stature was one of a human's, the devilish horns that came from his silver helmet made them think again. All of the armor he wore was silver as well. He had long, flowing blonde hair, and a black cape. His face was concealed by his helmet, except for his glaring red eyes. He carried a huge double-bladed axe in his right hand. He was mounted on a black horse that wore silver armor too. Its tail seemed like a rat's though, except for the end, where blonde hair finally showed. If it had a mane, it was hidden under its armor, but it did have two devilish horns that were much more curled and smaller than its masters. Its red eyes were just as cruel as his though.

In response, Ryei brought out his own monster. She looked like a human woman. She wore a long and pale purple robe, and light blue shoulder armor that had many curious gold symbols on it. Her purple hair went beyond her shoulders, although part of it on each side of her head was done up in two loop-like buns. On her right cheek was a blue symbol. Her eyes were the same color as her shoulder armor.

"I have chosen Tsukiyomi, also known as Moon Diviner," Ryei announced. "So what are the stakes?"

"If I win, you are all to come quietly. If you win, I will not harm you."

"Very well. Let's begin."

Ryei: 8000

James: 8000

"Who will go first?" Ryei inquired.

James brought out a coin. "Call it in the air." Then he flipped it.

"Heads."

James bent down and picked it up. "Heads it is."

"Then I'll go first." Ryei looked over his hand. "I first play Jar of Greed, to draw two cards. I'll lay one monster in defense mode, and one card face down. I also play a permanent magic card called Grave Keeper's Familiar. And then I'll play another one. It is your turn."

"And I'll start with Confiscate. By paying 1000 Life Points, I get to look at your hand and discard one card from it."

Ryei: 8000

James: 7000

"I have a Book of the Moon, Sacrifice-Sealing Mask, and Goblin Zombie."

"Get rid of Book of the Moon. Now I summon Killer Tomato. (1400/1100) It attacks your defense monster."

"A card based off of a tomato? Now I've seen everything," Karen commented.

"You've attacked my Needle Worm. (750/600) Its reverse effect forces you to discard the top five cards from your deck. Also, you have triggered my Grave Keeper's Familiar's effect. For each one, you have to discard a card off the top of your deck when you attack. Because I have two, you must discard the top two cards from your deck. In other words, you have lost seven cards from the top of your deck."

"Damn it all… I lose White Thief, Jar of Greed, Killer Tomato, Rotting General, Cyclone, Thieving Goblin, and Hand Obliteration. I lay three cards down, and end my turn."

When Ryei drew, James flipped over his face down card. "I activate Lost Property. This forces you to discard the card you have just drawn."

"Just my Dark Corridor," Ryei shrugged. "I'll lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"I will summon White Thief. (1000/700) Killer Tomato attacks your defense monster."

"I'll activate my trap card, Gravity Release. All of our face up monsters change positions. So your Killer Tomato and White Thief go to defense mode."

"Fine. I end my turn. And I'll activate Lost Property again."

"My Needle Worm is gone. I'll flip my Goblin Zombie face up. (1100/1050) Goblin Zombie attacks and destroys White Thief. Then I end my turn."

"I switch Killer Tomato to attack mode, and attack your Goblin Zombie! And I must discard for that accursed Grave Keeper's Familiar… I lose my Critter and White Thief."

Ryei: 7700

James: 7000

"You have one card in your hand?"

"Correct."

"Good. Mephisto forces you to discard a card in your hand every time one of my monsters destroys one of your monsters, as long as your monster is in attack mode. So discard your card."

"It is only my Sacrifice-Sealing Mask. It wouldn't have helped me anyway."

"Why do you say that?" Hope inquired.

"He's playing a Hand Destruction deck, and they hardly ever use sacrifices."

"You are correct," James confirmed. "In fact, I do not use any sacrifices. I will lay one card down and end my turn."

He looked at what he had drawn. "Not good… I end."

"My turn, eh? I'll summon Don Zaruug! (1400/1500) Whenever this monster does damage to you, I decide whether you should discard one card from your hand or discard two from the top of your deck. So all of my monsters attack! You must also discard two cards from the top of your deck."

Ryei: 4900

James: 7000

"I have lost my Metamol Pot and Attack Nullification. You?"

"My Angel's Gift, Lost Property, Demon's Axe, Cyclone, Black Forest Witch, and Killer Tomato are all gone. I lay one more card down and end my turn."

Ryei sighed in relief at his draw. "I got lucky… one card face down, and then I end my turn."

"I summon Zombie Tiger! (1400/1600) Now he attacks!"

"…I hate to do this," Ryei stated. "But I activate Holy Barrier-Mirror Force. It destroys all of your monsters that are in attack mode."

"Damn you!"

"And you still have to discard for that."

"My Power of Teamwork and another Zombie Tiger… I end."

"Why did you regret doing that?" Varen asked.

"I love tigers-they are my favorite animal. So of course I hate destroying them."

"Just get on with it!" James snapped.

"Alright, it's your funeral." Ryei looked at his next card and nodded. "I believe I have nearly won this duel."

"How so?"

"All I have to do is summon Samurai of Strange Behavior. (1000/1000)"

"That thing is weak!"

"Obviously. Now it attacks you."

Ryei: 4900

James: 6000

"Now my Samurai's effect activates. You are forced to draw until your hand has seven cards."

"But that helps me!" James protested as he drew.

"Until I activate the other card I have, which is Hand Obliteration. We both discard all of the cards in our hands, and draw until we hold the same amount. So I lose my Book of the Sun, but I get to draw one other card."

"Damn it… I discard Steadfast Guard, Power of Magicians, Rotting General, Cursed Coffin, Don Zaruug, White Thief, and Demon Axe." He quickly drew seven more cards, and then grew pale.

"You bastard! So that was your plan!"

"It took you this long to figure it out?" Ryei smirked. "I end my turn."

James didn't draw, just staring at his Duel Disk. "I only had forty cards in my deck…"

"What happened?" Daine asked.

"I'm using a Deck Destruction deck," Ryei explained. "I try to make the opponent deck out by forcing them to draw and discard, which causes them to run low on cards. Most duelists try to have forty cards in their deck and not go over that, so they are much easier for me to defeat."

"So he decked out?" Zari inferred.

"Yep. That was fourteen cards he was forced to get rid of, and that was all of the cards he had. So now he can't draw on his draw phase, causing him to instantly lose."

Ryei: 4900

James: Decked out

"I can't believe that happened!" James growled. "You'll pay for that!"

"I thought that you agreed to leave?" Ryei reminded him.

"I said that I would not harm you, but I never said that my companions would not!"

In an instant, the other ten had their guns out.

"I doubt that any of you, let alone all of you, can run faster than a bullet," James stated.

"Nice play of words," Ryei complimented, seeming unworried about the ten weapons.

"Thank you. Now surrender, before we are forced to…"

He didn't get a chance to say anything else. Suddenly, something shot out from the trees, slamming into James with a snarl. He didn't even get a chance to scream before his neck was snapped in half by the creature.

Everyone stared at the huge orange tiger as it lunged at another two men. Both went down to its claws and teeth. It wasn't the only one attacking though. Another tiger, just as big and the same color of orange, had also emerged. It easily brought down another of the military men.

The other men were too shocked and horrified to react as the two tigers slaughtered them. Only one had the sense to fire at them, but the tiger easily dodged the bullet and brought him down as well.

It was over quickly. The tigers ignored the eleven corpses, turning to examine the others. Ryei raised his hand, making a motion that seemed to say 'calm down'.

"Do you think they will attack us?" Daine said.

"It's alright," Ryei assured, walking over to them. He knelt in front of them, petting their heads. They began to purr as he talked to them. "It's fine, these are friends of mine. Thanks for coming to help us; you had perfect timing."

"You know them?" Zarek asked.

"That's right. Meet Tsuga and Clem. Tsuga's male, and Clem's female. They are brother and sister. You can tell them apart by their eye color-Tsuga has yellow eyes, and Clem has green ones. Oh, and Tsuga usually has his mouth somewhat open, so his teeth are visible. The suffix –ga means fang, see why I call him that?"

"Are they friendly? Do they eat humans?" questioned Varen.

The tigers looked at each other and made a noise that sounded like they were gagging.

"They won't try to harm you unless you try to hurt me, and they will not eat humans," Ryei told him.

The two tigers looked over at Gaignun and growled softly.

"Of course, they might think Gaignun is competing for their territory," Ryei commented.

Gaignun walked slowly over to them, his tail as low as he could possibly put it. When he got right in front of them, he lay down and rolled over, showing his stomach to the two wildcats.

"What is he doing?" Zari inquired.

"He's telling Tsuga and Clem that they have dominance over him," Hope explained. "In wolf packs, only the alpha-that's the leader wolf-is allowed to hold up his tail, unless another wolf wishes to challenge him. Holding up their tail shows that they are dominant over others. That's why wolves usually hold their tail low. Rolling over on his back also shows his most vulnerable area, which means that he's basically surrendering his life to them. That way, he is of no threat to them."

Tsuga and Clem were sniffing Gaignun carefully. Eventually, they turned back to Ryei, ignoring the wolf.

"That means he's ok in their book, as long as he knows his place," Hope concluded as Gaignun went back to her.

"Let's hope he does," Karen commented, eyeing Tsuga's fangs.

"I doubt he would forget." Hope looked over at the tigers. "They're beautiful… but this doesn't seem like an area they should be in."

"My great grandfather was quite obsessed with tigers," Ryei told them, as they watched the tigers lick away the blood on their chops. "So he brought a few here."

"So now we have two animal nuts," Varen muttered.

Hope ignored him, walking over to the tigers. Before Ryei could warn her, she had reached over and begun to stroke Tsuga.

The tiger looked somewhat surprised at first, but then closed his eyes, purring loudly. Clem walked over to Hope and nudged her, as if saying she wanted to be petted too. Hope laughed at that, and started stroking her too.

Ryei shook his head in amazement. "I can't believe it. Even after I assure them about who to trust, they are testy with anyone but me. Yet they don't seem to mind you."

"I'm just good with animals," Hope said modestly.

"I can see that." Ryei looked up at the sky. "It's getting late. We should get to my house now."

"What about them?" Varen inquired, looking over at the two tigers.

"They'll stay with us until we leave. We don't get to see each other too often, so when we do, I make sure that I give them attention. Well, shall we go?"

They followed Ryei through the forest without further conversation. The tigers were in the back, although Daine was unsure about whether they were guarding the group or watching them for any wrong moves. Perhaps it was both.

Just as it was getting dark, Ryei halted. "Here we are. Welcome to my home."

Everyone stared at it, before Karen voiced what was on everyone's minds.

"You live in a tree?"

"That's not quite accurate," Ryei stated, walking over to the tree. He knelt down in front of it and grabbed what looked like a root of some kind. But it was obviously a door handle, because when he pulled it up, a cleverly disguised door came up as well, showing everyone a tunnel of sorts.

"I actually live underground," Ryei explained as he jumped into it. "Follow me."

They went after him, the tigers still bringing up the rear. Zari stayed behind to close the door before following the others.

Soon they had arrived in a large room. They were all rather surprised to see that the room had access to electricity-there was a light in the middle of the room.

"My great grandfather was good with electrical things," Ryei said before anyone could ask.

There were a few pieces of furniture and such, common things that you would expect to see. But what caught their attention were the books. There were several bookcases, and all of them were filled with books. The only place Daine had ever seen this many books was in the library in the mansion.

"Someone enjoys reading," Hope commented.

"Get used to it. There are bookshelves all over my house. Feel free to read any of the books you want to, but be sure to put them back in their proper area."

"Where does that lead?" Karen asked, indicating to a locked door.

"A laboratory that my great grandfather, and eventually my father, used. I'd prefer that we stay out of there." He pointed at one of the two hallways. "That leads to the kitchen and pantry. We'll eat there tomorrow before setting off." He led them into the other hall way, which branched off to several rooms. "There are two guest rooms, my parent's bedroom, and my own bedroom. The couch in the living room also folds out into a bed. One guest room has two beds, the other one has three. I'll be occupying my own room, of course. Tsuga and Clem will be with me. The rest of you can choose where you want to sleep."

"Your parents…" Hope started, but trailed off.

"They're dead. So choose whichever rooms you would like." He went into his room, shutting the door.

"I shouldn't have said anything," Hope sighed.

"It'll be fine. So who should sleep where?" Varen inquired.

"Us girls get one room and the guys get another?" Karen shrugged.

"That leaves one room open… and the fold out bed…" Daine stated. "How about this? Zari, you and Valor take Ryei's parent's room. Hope, Karen, you get the guest room with two beds. Varen, Yamato, and I could sleep in the other guest room… unless you want to be there Ark?"

Ark simply walked away, towards the living room.

"I'll take that as a no… What about you Zarek? You staying with Varen, Yamato, and I?"

"Yes."

"Then it's settled. Good night guys," Karen said.

They split up, going to their sleeping locations. Hope, however, looked over in the direction of the living room.

"I'm going outside for a bit, ok Karen?"

"Sure. See you soon."

Hope went down the hall and through the living room, Gaignun following her. She saw Ark, who seemed to be in deep thought and said nothing to her. She went on silently towards the door.

She opened it and was just climbing out when she heard something approaching. She turned to see a one of the two tigers following.

_Tsuga__ That's your name, right?_

_Correct._

_Why are you here?_

_I prefer to keep an eye on things occurring._

_I see. What about Clem?_

_She is with Ryei._

_You are very loyal to him, aren't you?_

_Yes._

By this time, Hope was out of the tunnel and leaning against the tree trunk. _He seems nice, if not mysterious._

_He has his reasons._

Gaignun looked over at Tsuga. _I do not understand. He has made it to his territory, yet he is willing to leave it. He could hide here to easily avoid predators. Why does he want to continue traveling with ones who are not of his own pack?_

_Ryei__ is faithful to those who are his friends._

_Friends?__ But we just met,_ Hope said in confusion.

_Maybe so, but he still trusts all of you._

_He follows his instincts? _Hope inferred.

_Yes._

"Who are you talking to?"

Hope jumped with shock. Ryei was standing behind her. Clem was there as well.

"Ryei! I didn't hear you."

"Not many can." He stroked Tsuga's head. "So who were you talking to?"

"Talking to?"

"Yeah. About instincts and such? I didn't hear much, but I've never heard the voice that answered you."

Hope stared at him. "You… could… hear me?"

"Of course."

Hope decided to try something. Instead of speaking out loud, she spoke as she had to Gaignun and Tsuga. _What about now?_

"Yeah, I hear you. It doesn't seem the same though… more like I heard it with my mind, instead of ears."

Hope shook her head. "You're the first person who has ever been able to hear me when I talk to animals."

"You can talk to animals?"

"Yes." Hope looked away. "It's a talent of mine that's both a gift and a curse."

"It sounds very interesting to me," Ryei stated, sitting beside her. "Can you teach me how?"

"Teach you? It isn't something that can be taught… but you can hear me speak in my mind. Maybe…" She thought for a moment. "Ok, I want to try something." She turned to her wolf companion. _Gaignun__, say something to Ryei.___

_Ok. Ryei, can you hear me? If you can, answer me._

Ryei looked over at Hope. "Isn't Gaignun supposed to be talking to me?"

"You couldn't hear him?"

"No."

"That's odd… let's try it with Tsuga." _Tsuga__, you do the same as Gaignun did._

_Alright.__ Ryei, respond if you hear my voice._

Ryei started. "Was that… Tsuga?"

"Yeah. You could hear him, but not Gaignun? How strange. Clem, let's have you try as well."

_Very well.__ Ryei, reply to me. Am I contacting you correctly?_

"I can hear you as well."

"I don't understand," Hope said. "Is it because you know Tsuga and Clem better than Gaignun?"

_Or is it because we are tigers? _Clem suggested.

"Maybe… that could be it. Ryei, it's possible that you can only hear tigers speak."

"I suppose so… but then why can I hear you?"

"Any animal can hear me talk… maybe that's why?"

"Possibly. Maybe we can experiment at another moment, when we have more time. For now, let's remember that we can speak through the mind. It might be helpful in the future."

"That's true." Hope got up. "I'm going to go back down. Good night."

"Same to you."

They went back down, where they went into their separate rooms. Hope walked in to find that Karen was already asleep. She got into her own bed quietly, and was soon sleeping as well. Gaignun lay on the floor, asleep at the moment yet ready to wake at the slightest sound.

Ryei had gone into his room, getting on the top bunk of his bed. Clem had jumped onto the lower bed. He had grabbed a book from his shelf called Mossflower.

"Strange indeed…" Ryei muttered. "But I can still see why this could be happening."

Outside of his door was where Tsuga lay. He did not sleep, instead choosing to guard the room he was in front of.

-----

Valor looked over at Zari. "What are you doing?"

"I just wanted to read a little bit before falling asleep. I haven't had a chance to pick up a book for a long time." She looked over all of the titles. "Most of these deal with the supernatural though."

"Anything interesting?"

"This one." She picked it up. "It's about dreams."

"Dreams? What are those?"

"Nobody has ever explained what dreams are to you? They are images, emotions, and such that you see or feel when you are asleep. Ones that cause you to be frightened are called nightmares."

"So that's what they are called? I've had several of each, but I have never heard what they are called."

"I see." She flipped through the book. "Many people have different theories on dreams. Some believe they can tell the future, others believe that they are simply ideas you have had in that day."

"So nobody really knows?"

"Correct." She flipped through a few pages. "It is an issue that nobody really looks into these troubled days. But I am still intrigued by it."

-----

_He stood alone in a barren area, which was stripped of anything living. Corpses decorated the ground, while grass and plants had been scorched away. Only dirt stained with blood and bodies remained. Their dying expressions were identical; they were all terrified. They had seen something that was too powerful to have a right to exist._

_Death surrounded him. But he enjoyed it, savored it, for it was what he had longed for._

Daine bolted up, gasping.

_What… was… that? It was so real…_

"So you're finally up," Zarek said. He had been leaning against the wall, waiting for Daine to rise. "What is the matter?"

"Just a dream." Daine got out of bed. "It's no big deal. Where are they now?"

"In the kitchen, eating."

"Alright, I'm coming. What about you?"

"I will be waiting in the living room," he stated, leaving. Daine followed.

"Hey, about time you got up!" Varen greeted.

"Morning," he replied, sitting down at the table in a vacant chair. "So everyone else is here?"

"Except Ark," Ryei responded. "He has already eaten."

"What's with that guy?" Varen complained. "He doesn't even talk to us much, if at all. If he doesn't want to hang around with us, why doesn't he just leave?"

"I'm sure there must be a good explanation," Daine stated, taking some bacon from the plate in the middle of the table. "So will we be leaving soon?"

"Yes, right after we are done," Ryei replied. "We need to get an early start."

"Indeed," Daine agreed.

Once they were done eating, they went out into the living room. Zarek was leaning against the wall once more, while Ark sat on the couch. They looked up as the others entered.

"So are we leaving?" Zarek inquired.

"Yes," Daine nodded. "Ryei, are you sure you want to come? You could stay here, after all."

"I know, but I still want to come," Ryei stated. "Don't ask why-you won't get an answer until I feel like telling."

"Alright then," Daine shrugged.

"What about Tsuga and Clem?" Zari asked. "Will they be coming?"

"No, they prefer to stay here," Ryei explained. "But they'll accompany us until we reach the edge of their territory."

"At least we won't have to worry about being eaten in our sleep," Varen joked.

Tsuga's tail shot out, tripping Varen and causing him to fall into a bookcase. The books rained down, burying him.

Ryei picked up one of the books that had fallen on Varen, looking at it. "Well, he's History, literally."

"Shut up," Varen grumbled, pushing the books off of himself so that he could get up.

"I'll put these back in order later. Just help me put them back on the shelf."

After all of the history books were back on the shelf, they went outside. Ryei came out last, shutting the door.

"So how far away would you say the capital is?" Daine asked Hope.

"About three days away, I believe."

"Why build two highly populated areas so close together though?" Daine inquired.

"It's more convenient," Ryei replied. "There are very few humans left, so there are not as many people to do certain jobs that are necessary, such as grow food. They do not want to worry about other unnecessary jobs, such as transportation. Also, this makes it easier to get to another large city in case something happens to one of them."

"I see."

The walk through the forest was uneventful. Ryei led the way while the tigers once more brought up the rear.

After some time though, Ryei suddenly halted.

"This is as far as Tsuga and Clem's territory goes. They will be leaving now."

He went to the back and stroked them one last time. "I'll be back soon."

The tiger's response was purring. Then they turned and ran off, into the depths of the forest.

"Shall we go on?" Ryei suggested. "I have been to the Capital a few times, and I remember the way."

"Then lead on; your memory is probably better than mine," Hope stated.

-----

He got up from his desk, leaving his computer on. After all, what he was doing usually took no more than about three minutes.

He walked across the room to the opposite wall, where there was a safe. It only took a few seconds to enter the pass code-he had memorized it a long time ago. Opening the safe, he took out one of the devices inside it.

He looked at the screen on it, and froze.

"So he has awakened. But how?"

To be continued…


	9. Arrival at the Capital

Sorry for the long break. I had terrible writer's block, but it is finally gone! Time to get back to alternation between Teknisk Wereld and this.

John: Um… you're welcome? What do you mean by I used your idea?

Demon Fan: I never thought of using him, that's all. There might still be a chance, but I am not sure.

**Chapter 9: Arrival at the Capital**

Ikari pushed aside yet another branch in the forest. "Geez! If I had known it would be this hard to pursue him, I wouldn't have bothered…"

Ever since his embarrassing defeat at the river, Ikari had been trying to find Varen to get revenge on him. In the Side Capital, he had heard from someone that a group of people had passed by, and one of the males had had the description of Varen. When told that they had headed for the forest, Ikari had followed. He had never been this deep into the forest though, and now was completely lost.

"But I have come this far… I won't turn back yet," Ikari muttered, stepping into a small clearing. Then he stopped dead in his tracks.

In front of him were two huge, orange, growling tigers. And they didn't look happy.

Ikari could think of only one thing to say.

"Oh crap."

Then he ran for his life, the tigers following.

-----

The past three days had been rather uneventful. Hope and Ryei had taken turns leading the way to Capital, while the others followed. Most of the time, they had been forced to save their breath for the endless trekking, although a few snatches of conversation were to be had. They met nobody on the way, which was for the better to them. There were a few locations where they had to turn back and try another direction, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. The only person who couldn't always keep up was Valor, but Zari carried him when necessary. Other than that, there were no problems on the way.

On the night of the third day, after they found a rather large clearing to stay in, Hope called for their attention.

"The Capital isn't far from here. We should reach it in about an hour from this location. I think we should now take the time to decide what we are going to do."

"We came here in hopes that we weren't wanted here, didn't we? So why not just stay here for a while?" Varen offered.

"Even if word has not made it here yet, it will soon enough," Ryei told him. "We might be safe there for a few days, but then soldiers would be on the lookout for us."

"How far would they go to pursue us though?" Daine wondered. "We helped Zari and Valor, but that isn't as bad enough for them to follow us all over the world to get their hands on us. Right?"

"…It might be," Valor said softly. "The person who is after us is really wants me more than anything. If you got far enough away, but he managed to take me, then he would probably let you leave."

"Then maybe we should leave all of you," Zari suggested.

"No chance. If they caught up with you, neither of you would stand a chance. I'm staying." Daine glanced at the others. "But if any of you guys want to leave, I have no right to stop you."

"I'm not," Hope reassured. "I don't really have a home anyway. I mostly travel."

"I think you know my answer," Ryei said.

"We will remain until another mission comes up," Karen decided. "But if we do get one, we will be forced to leave immediately. I hope you guys will understand."

"Yeah, it isn't a problem," Daine assured. "Zarek? Ark? What do you two have to say on this?"

"I have nowhere else to go," Zarek nodded.

Ark did not respond at first. Then he finally said, "I am not sure on what I want to do yet. I prefer to be alone, but I do not know enough about this era to live in solitude. Until I find a location to settle in, and until I know what I need to, I will stay. But at my first opportunity, I will leave."

"Alright then. So as you can see, for now at least, we're all with you," Daine said.

"Thanks," Zari replied. "It makes me feel better to know we have so many allies backing us up."

Valor nodded, but didn't say anything; he was still somewhat shy of talking around them.

Seeing that the conversation was over, Gaignun got up and left. Every night he went searching for game, usually killing about five rabbits for the group members, along with an extra one for himself. Although this was quite an amount of food, it was necessary after a whole day of eating hardly anything. Hope also searched for edible plants for them, which Valor for some reason always refused. So far, all Valor had wanted to eat was meat, although nobody knew why. Daine ate quite a bit at first, but now he didn't eat as much as before. This was probably because he had been asleep for such a long time. Ark, on the other hand, always consumed the most. He didn't seem to eat because he enjoyed it, but more as though it was vital to eat as much as he did, which puzzled the others, especially Hope, Yamato, and Karen. Sure, he had been asleep for awhile, but Daine had been too, and he didn't eat nearly as much as Ark. As a complete opposite though, Zarek required no food or water, so it kind of balanced out.

After they were done eating, Daine looked around the clearing. "We should rest now while we have the chance. Hm… Hope kept guard last night… who wants to volunteer for tonight?"

"…I will," Ark said.

Daine blinked in surprise. "Ok… then I guess that's that. Good night guys."

Soon, everyone was asleep except for Gaignun, who rarely slept at night, and Ark, who was just outside the clearing, sitting on a sturdy tree limb that was high enough to not be seen, but low enough to climb down quickly when necessary. He looked over at his companions for a moment, and when he saw them asleep, took an object out.

Zari woke suddenly, hearing something. She looked around for a few second before realizing what she was listening to was… music.

She carefully laid Valor on the ground. Normally, at night time, she covered him with her trench coat after he was asleep, which caused him to sleep peacefully. He didn't even stir as she put him down, and walked over to the edge of the clearing quietly.

Ark was leaning against the tree trunk on the limb, eyes closed while he played a wooden flute. It looked like a rather plain instrument, but the song he was playing was anything but that. It was no tune that Zari recognized, yet it was one of the most heart wrenching songs she had ever heard. It spoke of a pain carved deep into the soul of the player, a lingering sadness that had recovered somewhat but would never completely go away. Sorrow that wasn't her own flooded over her, causing her to be mesmerized.

Then the song ended. Ark looked down at her. "Is there something you want?"

"No, nothing at all. I just happened to hear you playing. That song was the most depressing thing I have ever heard… yet at the same time, it was beautiful. Who taught you to play?"

"…Nobody. I taught myself." Ark looked down at the flute. "It was… necessary."

"What do you mean?"

He said nothing.

"Oh, I'm sorry. If you don't wish to explain…"

_I have no reason to explain myself to her. Yet I feel the same way as I did when questioned… by her…_

"…At an early age, I was forced to learn how to lock away my emotions. Now, the only way I access them is when playing this flute. When I feel as though I cannot handle my feelings, I channel them into music. All of my songs are original-I make them up based on how I feel."

"I see… do you play for others? Or just for yourself?"

"…Normally myself. Once another." Then he closed his eyes once more, resuming the position she had first seen him in. She assumed that meant that he was done talking.

"Alright then… goodnight." Then she went back to where she had originally been, lifting Valor again and also shutting her own eyes. But she did not sleep. Instead, she continued to listen to the soft, sad notes throughout the night.

-----

Daine woke up, covered with sweat once more.

_Another nightmare?__ They're coming almost nightly now. I'm starting to fear sleeping…_

He looked around the clearing, and saw that he was the only one up besides Gaignun and Ark, who was still in the tree. Seeing Daine was awake, he leapt down easily.

"Morning," Daine greeted. "Anything happen last night?"

Ark shook his head.

"Alright then. Guess we'll have to wake these guys up," he said, nodding at their sleeping companions.

Gaignun, hearing what he said, walked over to Hope and licked her face.

"Argh!" Hope sat up quickly, wiping away the saliva. "Gaignun! I told you not to wake me up like that anymore!"

Gaignun walked off towards Varen, ignoring Hope's complaints. Then he leapt right on Varen's chest.

"OW!" Varen exclaimed, being woken up brutally. Gaignun jumped off him, leaving the boy to sit up very carefully.

"My poor ribs…" Varen moaned.

Everyone else had been awakened by Varen's shout. Ryei lifted an eyebrow. "While effective, don't you think this is a little extreme? We still have to walk for about an hour."

Gaignun simply trotted out of the clearing, and soon the others followed, although Varen continued to grumble for about ten minutes before he finally got over the rude awakening.

The forest began to thin out as they got closer to their destination. Soon, there were only about half the amount of trees from before, but they were still close enough so that the group could pass through the shadows to avoid being seen.

Suddenly, Hope halted. "Here we are."

In front of them, they could see several tall buildings that marked exactly where the Capital was.

"It's huge!" Daine exclaimed.

"Compared to other cities, this isn't very large," Zarek commented. "There were far bigger in the past. Now, however… we have been reduced to this."

"Alright, so we're here. Now what?" Varen inquired.

"Now we have a dilemma," Ryei stated. "We don't know whether we are wanted or not here. If we are, then we could be walking right into a trap."

"Yeah, that's true…" Daine nodded. "Hm… Zarek, do you think you could go into town? After all, you aren't on the wanted list, are you?"

"I was supposed to be back in three days, maximum. Since I did not return, they will assume me to either be dead or be a traitor. If it's the latter, I am no better off than you."

"Darn…" Daine muttered. "Hey, wait! Ark, they don't know who you are. Maybe you could go in? If that's ok with you, of course."

Ark considered. "…What would I have to do?"

"Just try to collect information. See if we are wanted here," Daine explained.

"Also, if you could pick up some supplies, that would be good," Hope added, handing him the sack she always carried over her shoulder and money. "We don't want too much, because that would weigh us down, but some flasks for water would be good in case we can't find a stream for a while. There isn't much to ask for in the means of food, but maybe a little for emergencies. I think that's about all that's needed. Wait, actually…" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Maybe you could pick up some sewing supplies too? Nothing too fancy, just some navy thread and a needle. I want to repair Zari's shirt-it was sliced open a while back. She's been ok until now because of her trenchcoat, but I'd like to fix it." Then she raised her voice again. "Anyway, that's it."

"We'll wait here for you," Daine assured. "Thanks for doing this."

Ark nodded, and then turned and walked towards the town.

Zari jumped up. "Oh, I forgot to ask him something. I'll be right back." Then she ran after him.

When he heard her approaching, Ark turned. "What is the matter?"

"I just had a favor to ask," Zari said. She took out some more money, giving it to him. "Have you noticed the condition of Valor's clothes? They're torn up and don't offer much protection. I was kind of hoping that you could pick up some new ones while in town, preferably a dark color. If we are forced to use stealth at night time, it will be much better instead of having white clothes and standing out like a beacon."

"I can do that."

"There should be more than enough in there. If there is anything you want to purchase, feel free to." After that, Zari left, leaving Ark to continue making his way towards the Capital.

Zarek had been correct in saying that this town was nothing compared to previous ones. It was smaller than many, and had too few people to even be considered crowded. But even this small amount of people passing by on the streets made Ark feel uneasy. It had been several years since he had been anywhere nearby other humans. He wasn't even all that comfortable with the group, much less in this place full of strangers.

It was only made worse by the fact that almost everyone he met stared over at him in curiosity. Hardly anyone new came by the town these days, so any travelers were quite interesting to them. However, those who caught site of his red eyes were either terrified, disgusted, or both, and would walk away as fast as possible.

_I am already attracting too much attention… I should hurry._

In the center of the town, there were several large bulletin boards that displayed the most current information. Ark quickly looked at the one with the wanted list.

On the list, as the most current people who were wanted, were nine names that Ark immediately recognized.

_We were too slow… they already know. I had best get back quickly._

With a new reason to make haste, he went into the nearest store that sold sport supplies and grabbed three water canteens. The person at the cash register seemed surprised at the purchase but did not comment. Then he went to the grocery store, and keeping in mind that these 'emergency supplies' would probably have to last a while, got provisions that could be saved for a long time. By now, as he left the most recent store, he was already sick of being in the town, but he still had two more things to do. He chose to fulfill Zari's request first, picking up a black t-shirt and black pants that would blend well with the shadows. He also saw some sewing supplies on sale. They were out of navy thread, so he just took black instead, and a needle.

"You sure you got the right size?" the cash register person asked, raising his eyebrow.

"I assume this is correct."

"Ok… right…"

Finally, he went to one last location with the spare money Zari had lent him. There was something rather important he wanted to pick up.

After taking care of that, he started back for the meeting point, carrying Hope's sack and the supplies within it.

-----

"It's been almost an hour," Ryei commented, looking at the position of the sun once more.

"He should be back any minute now," Daine replied.

"But wouldn't he be back by now?" Varen inquired.

"He's been asleep for a long time, and therefore hasn't had much human interaction for a while. I can see it taking him longer than it would for us," Zari shrugged.

"That's true," Varen realized. "But I'm getting nervous by just staying here. What if we are attacked?"

Gaignun was currently asleep, being exhausted from staying up all night. The others were waiting for Ark to return anxiously, in fear that they might be discovered.

After a few minutes of silence, Karen suddenly stood. "That's strange… I thought I heard someone…"

Before she could continue, a man leapt out from the bushes, seizing Valor and putting a knife to his throat. Before the others could react, five other men emerged, all armed with swords and guns. From their uniforms, it was easy to tell that they were from the military.

The man who had Valor seemed to be the leader. He had the gold pin on that showed his rank, along with blond hair and hazel eyes. His second in command was a man with a silver pin, light brown hair, and light green eyes.

Gaignun leapt up with a growl, but the man pressed lightly against Valor's neck with the knife, causing a little bit of blood to run down it. "Relinquish your weapons, and call off your dog."

"He's a wolf," Hope growled, dropping her bow and arrows in front of herself.

"Looks like we were no safer here," Daine sighed, unsheathing his sword and stabbing it into the ground.

Karen did not get out her bazooka yet though, and Daine could see that she meant to have the element of surprise with it if necessary. But since the soldiers were so close by, if she tried firing, they would all be killed. So she was waiting, hoping things could be resolved without needing it.

"Took us a while to track you down…" the leader said. "I expected more resistance."

"We are not heartless enough to betray one of our friends," Daine replied carefully.

"Hmph. Comradeship. We'll see how far you get with that."

Seeing that his captor was distracted, Valor decided to try and attack him. He didn't want to be as helpless as he had been when Zarek had assaulted them. And without hesitation, he bit the leader's arm.

"ARGH!" he exclaimed, having not expected an attack from the seemingly defenseless child. "Alright, forget the orders! You aren't making it out alive!" Then he lifted his knife, about to stab the boy, when two gunshots rang through the clearing.

Valor was able to leap to the ground and get out of the way before the leader's corpse fell, blood coming from the back of his head. Another man also fell, while the others turned to see who the new threat was.

Ark stood a short distance away, aiming two pistols at two other men in the group. And before either could respond to what they were seeing, two more bullets took their lives.

The last remaining common soldier ran for his life, and before Ark could kill him as well, the second in command drew his own gun. "Halt!"

"I can shoot faster than you," Ark said calmly.

"My bullet does not have to travel as long of a distance," he responded, aiming it at Zari, who happened to be closest by; she had come forward to get in front of Valor when he had been released.

"Then shall we do this another way?"

In response, the second in command brought out a Duel Disk. "A duel to the death then."

Ark got his out as well, inserting his deck into it. Then, on an afterthought, he threw Hope's bag over to her. "I got what you asked for."

"Oh… uh, thanks," Hope said, surprised he would bring that up now.

"Nice timing, by the way," Varen joked.

"Let's see if you are as skilled with cards as you are with firearms," the second in command snarled. "You took me by surprise before… I didn't expect there to be another one with this group… but now I am prepared. Who are you, anyway? I'm called Ryan."

"Refer to me as Ark," he said shortly.

"Alright. As for Deck Masters… I select Mask of Darkness."

A brown mask appeared, hovering next to Ryan. Above the left eye was a crack in the mask, and it had a red, X-shaped scar on its left cheek.

Ark's Deck Master appeared as well. He looked like a man, yet there was something very inhumane about his pale white skin. He wore an elegant purple suit with hard, black shoes. He also had on a cape that was purple on the outside, but red on the inside. On the shoulder area of the cape were pink claw-like items, attaching the cape to him. He had short, green hair, and yellow eyes, with a very sharp pair of fangs.

"Vampire Lord," Ark stated.

Valor got up slowly, tasting blood that wasn't his own in his mouth. But what terrified him was that… it was, in a way, _good_. He had defended himself, and with that, he was growing stronger, and when the time came, he would be able to kill too.

_No! What am I thinking? I don't want anyone to die because of me! I don't!_

That was what he told himself, anyway.

Ark: 8000

Ryan: 8000

"So, who will go first?" Ryan inquired. "Shall we have a coin toss?"

"Fine. Heads."

Ryan flipped a quarter into the air and caught it. "You're right."

"In that case… I lay one monster in defense mode, and one card face down. That is all."

"Then let's start the assault! I lay two cards face down, and summon Giant Orc. (2200/0) Giant Orc attacks your defense monster!"

"Soul-Hunting Spirit, (300/200)" Ark said as the monster appeared. "It cannot be destroyed in battle."

"How annoying… my Orc's effect also activates. He is forced to go into defense mode after attacking, and will remain that way for the next turn. It is your turn."

"I summon Zombie Tiger. (1400/1600)"

"I like his deck already," Ryei commented.

"So, an Undead deck. It's an interesting theme," Karen said.

"I switch Soul-Hunting Spirit to attack mode. Zombie Tiger attacks and destroys your Giant Orc. Then Soul-Hunting Spirit attacks directly. Because of another effect, you are forced to discard a card from your hand when he attacks directly."

"Hm… I can't let that happen, so I'll activate the trap card Skill Drain! By paying 1000 Life Points, I can activate this card. All monsters' effects are negated."

Ark: 8000

Ryan: 6700

"That makes my Soul-Hunting Spirit useless…" Ark realized. "I end my turn."

"I will summon Goblin Strike Team! (2300/0) They also have the annoying effect of being forced to go into defense mode after an attack, but Skill Drain negates that. Goblin Strike Team attacks Soul-Hunting Spirit!"

"I activate Attack Nullification, which negates your attack."

"Gr… not much else I can do then."

"So Ryan is using a Skill Drain deck?" Varen assumed.

"Undead cards don't have a lot of attack power most of the time," Ryei stated. "That means they have to rely on effects. Skill Drain is probably one of the worst things Ark could be up against right now."

Ark looked at his next card, and played it instantly. "Cyclone. This destroys one of your magic or trap cards, and I choose Skill Drain."

"Oh no. It's the end of the world," Ryan said sarcastically.

"Then I activate Theft. This allows me to take control of your Goblin Strike Team. Then I sacrifice them for Vampire Lord. (2000/1500)"

"Damn," Ryan muttered as the Vampire Lord appeared.

"Vampire Lord attacks."

"I activate Cry of the Living Dead! This brings one of my monsters from the Cemetery to the field in attack mode. So I revive Goblin Strike Team. (2300/0)"

"Call off the attack. I switch Soul-Hunting Spirit and Zombie Tiger to defense mode and lay another card down. That is all."

"Let's see… I think now is the time to activate my Deck Master's effect. Mask of Darkness allows me to get one trap card from my Cemetery and add it to my hand, so I choose Skill Drain! I lay one card down-take a wild guess at what it is-then I summon Dark Hero: Zombire. (2100/500) I will also equip Zombire with Demon Axe. This raises his attack by 1000! (3100/500) Zombire attacks Vampire Lord."

"Activate Magic Cylinder. This negates your attack and causes you to lose Life Points equal to the amount."

Ark: 8000

Ryan: 3600

"Argh… In that case, I attack Vampire Lord with Goblin Strike Team!"

Ark: 7700

Ryan: 3600

"…I pass."

"Looks like you're hitting a dead end. I summon Dark Elf. (2000/1000) Then I activate Early Burial, to bring forth Giant Orc from my Cemetery in attack mode. (2200/0) It costs me 800 Life Points to do this though."

Ark: 7700

Ryan: 2800

"After that, I activate my Skill Drain once more!"

Ark: 7700

Ryan: 1800

"Dark Elf attacks Soul-Hunting Spirit, Giant Orc attacks Zombie Tiger, and Zombire attacks you directly!"

Ark: 4600

Ryan: 1800

"I hope he dies a slow and painful death," Ryei muttered.

"You're way too obsessed," Varen commented.

"I play Jar of Greed… and then activate Tempest. This destroys all of your magic and trap cards."

"Argh! My Skill Drain, Demon Axe, Cry of the Living Dead, and Early Burial are all gone… and with them, my Goblin Strike Team and Giant Orc. Damn it! And Zombire's attack is reduced… (2100/500)"

"I now activate my Deck Master's ability. By discarding a card from my hand-in this case, my Rotting General-I can special summon an Undead Sub-Type from my Cemetery in face up attack or defense mode. I choose Soul-Hunting Spirit. Then I lay one monster in defense mode, one card face down, and end my turn."

"Dang it… my Life Points are too low to risk attacking with Dark Elf. She forces me to pay 1000 Life Points whenever I wish to do so, and that is a sacrifice I cannot make… so I will attack your defense monster with Zombire."

"Another Zombie Tiger. (1400/1600)"

"I bet you aren't too happy by now," Hope said to Ryei.

"Don't make understatements."

"My Zombire's attack power lowers by 200 for every monster he destroys. (1900/500) That is all I can do."

"I will activate my Deck Master's ability again. By discarding Pyramid Turtle, I can bring Vampire Lord back to the field in attack mode. He attacks Zombire."

Ark: 4600

Ryan: 1700

"Whenever Vampire Lord does damage to your Life Points, I am allowed to call monster, magic, or trap. For whichever one I call, you are forced to remove one of that kind of card from your deck. So I call trap."

"Heh, easy choice there… I discard Destruction Ring. I can't use it now anyway, seeing as how low my Life Points are."

"That is all."

"Argh… I hate having to take risks like this, but it's necessary… First of all, I know your Soul-Hunting Spirit can be automatically destroyed by targeting it with a magic or trap card, so I equip it with Demon Axe, automatically destroying it. Then I summon Landmine Spider. (2200/100) I will have Dark Elf attack Vampire Lord, destroying both."

Ark: 4600

Ryan: 700

"Now I have Landmine Spider attack directly. Whenever I declare an attack, I am forced to flip a coin. If I call it correctly, the attack goes through without a problem. But if I am wrong, I lose half of my life Points. So I call tails!"

They watched as the hologram coin flipped through the air, landing on…

"Heads! Curses!"

Ark: 2400

Ryan: 350

"It's all down to luck now… I end my turn…"

"I have no choice but to pass…"

"Then I win! I summon another Landmine Spider!"

"Activate Tidal Wave. This can only be activated when a monster is summoned, flip summon, or special summoned. It destroys all of the monsters on the field."

"Damn… it… ALL! I end…"

"...I discard Soul-Hunting Spirit to special summon Vampire Lord. He attacks you directly."

Ark: 2400

Ryan: 0

"Blast it all…" Ryan growled. "Fine. As much as I hate doing this, it's necessary. At least my purpose is served." Then he drew his sword, and before any of them could respond, he stabbed himself, collapsing.

"Well, he kept his word," Varen said, staring at the corpse. Nobody else really knew what else to say. But finally, Zarek came to his senses.

"We have a problem though," he pointed out. "That other soldier… he fled. He will probably be getting reinforcements."

"Ugh… and he saw Ark too," Daine groaned. "Looks like none of us will be able to visit any towns for a while now. But we can think about that later. If that guy is going for reinforcements, we should get out of here as quickly as possible."

"Right," Zari nodded. "Let us go now… Valor? What is wrong?"

Valor was staring at the corpse, but when he heard Zari, he tore his gaze away. "It… it's nothing…"

_I keep forgetting that he has probably not seen death until now,_ Zari thought sadly. _In the past few days, we have had three fights, all three ending with our enemies being slain. He isn't ready to cope with it…_

"But where can we go?" Varen wondered.

"We should find an area where we can stay to make plans," Ryei suggested. "Maybe an abandoned town, or something similar. I think there's one that's nearby here. Should we look?"

"We don't have any better options," Daine said. "Ryei, do you know the way?"

"Kind of. I looked at a few maps a while ago, and I distantly remember where this one is. If we go to the north some more, we should be able to find it… follow me. I'll try to recall the way."

And they left instantly.

To be continued…


	10. Experiencing Death

And at last, an update for this fic as well! We are starting to finally get into the actual plot of the story. Forget fooling around with military men… (although they WILL still show up… if any of you actually like them…) we have to start running into some real villains!

John: Ah, I see. Yeah, Deck Destroying decks are really tricky duels to write, but entertaining at the same time. It's fun to write the bad guy's reaction when he finds out he's out of cards!

**Chapter 10: Experiencing Death**

Ikari finally stumbled into Capital, grumbling under his breath as he walked though town. He did not seem to notice the strange stares the people were giving him.

"Damn tigers… I was nearly their lunch… that was way too close for comfort…" Ikari touched his shoulder, and winced as pain coursed through his body. "And that dang scratch from one of them still hurts… and of course, I'm scratched all over because of the damn branches… I'm so killing Varen when I catch up with him…"

It was about that time that he ran across the wanted board. He casually looked over at it, and then suddenly rushed over.

"WHAT?! VAREN IS WANTED?!"

"Do you know him?"

Ikari turned to see two military men.

"Um… hi?" Ikari said nervously.

"Are you friends with one of these criminals?" one said.

"Friends?! No!"

"You sound as though you know him though," the other pointed out.

"I do! But not as a friend!"

"Then we'll have to take you in for questioning," the first one stated.

"Hey! You can't do that!"

The first one pulled out a gun. "I can't?"

"…You win."

Ikari followed them miserably, but burning with rage at Varen.

_Damn it! You are so dead by the time I catch up with you!_

-----

It had been another day and night of relentless traveling. It was just about to be dawn, and everyone there was exhausted.

"Can we please take a break?" Hope requested as they walked on.

Daine looked over to Ryei. "You know this area best. What do you think?"

"We can rest for a short time before we proceed to the cliff," Ryei decided.

"The cliff? We have to climb a cliff?!" Varen yelped.

"No, thankfully we won't have to climb it. There is a steep trail to take up it. But later on, it becomes a sheer rock wall, so we have to go up that trail."

"I won't complain about that," Varen muttered.

Soon they saw the cliff Ryei had spoken off. They could see that the area on top of the cliff also had a forest appearance, and that it was indeed a wall that would be nearly impossible to climb, even with the correct tools. But after more traveling, they began to notice a slight slope. And finally they were at the bottom of the steep trail.

"We should stay here for a few minutes before going further," Ryei stated.

"I'm all for it," Karen agreed, sitting down.

When everyone was as comfortable as they could get, Daine began to ask Ark a few questions that he had been wondering about.

"You use guns?"

"I am experienced with them," Ark said shortly.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"I prefer to keep some details secret."

"Why do you play with an Undead deck?" Varen inquired.

"It fits me."

"…Say what?" Varen said in confusion.

"So I assume we were on the wanted list there?" Zari inferred.

"Correct."

"Damn it… is there anywhere safe now?" Daine wondered.

"If there is, we'll find it. That's our goal now, right?" Varen commented.

"That's most of your goals," Karen corrected. "Yamato and I are just hanging around with you guys for a while, remember? And who knows what Ark wants to do."

Nobody had a response to that, so they spent a few more moments resting before Zarek rose. "I think we should keep going now."

"Easy for you to say-you're a cyborg," Varen muttered, but he got up also, as did the others. Valor seemed kind of tired still, but did not complain.

Although steep, the going was fairly easy. Even Valor was able to keep up with them. It took them a while to make it to even land again, but they finally reached it.

"We should travel nearby the cliff edge," Ryei announced. "That way, I can remember which way we are going easier."

"And if one of us falls?" Karen queried, looking at the drop that would surely kill anyone who should be unlucky enough to experience it.

"Then they're dead. So let's keep away from the very edge," Ryei advised.

"Once more, I'm not arguing," Varen commented.

By about midday, they were quite a distance away from the slope. And once more, their pace slackened.

"I hate to sound like a broken record, but I think we should take another break soon," Hope said.

"Alright. I'll look for an area," Ryei promised.

Before Hope could respond, Gaignun snarled. _Humans! They are approaching us!_

"What's the matter?" Zari inquired as Gaignun growled again.

"Someone must be nearby," Hope said, drawing her bow.

The others immediately reached for their weapons, waiting for the other people to emerge.

A few seconds later, Gaignun let out a fierce snarl at the forest.

"Quit hiding!" Hope shouted. "We know that you're there!"

From out of the trees came about fifteen soldiers, one as a second in command. Then another person came out. This person was covered with a black cloak, concealing their features.

"Who are you?" Daine demanded, gripping onto his sword.

"Your executioner," the figure said. "We have been ordered to slay the one with the marked hand, and any comrades he might have. So that is what we will do."

"Marked hand? What do you mean?" Ryei questioned.

"Hm… so he never told you? Then you will never have the chance to learn, unless you all meet up in hell!"

The soldiers attacked without warning, their swords out. One tried to go after Ryei, but he was ready. He easily dodged the blow, and brought his kunai down into the man's throat. Another fell to Yamato's huge sword, and another to Zarek's switchblade. Another that came towards Zari and Valor was slain by her twin blades. Ark had stepped back towards the cliff edge, to stay away from the melee combat, and shot down two more soldiers. Hope was a bit closer to combat, and aimed at one soldier, but missed her shot. The soldier leapt for her, only to be hit in midair by Gaignun. The wolf closed his jaws around the man's neck, tearing his windpipe. Karen stood nearby Zari and Valor, waiting for a chance to use her bazooka, but could not when everyone was so close together. Varen used his katars to kill another soldier that had lowered his guard.

One of them went straight for Daine, bringing his sword down. Daine blocked it, but the man's strength was far greater than the teenager's, and he was forced to jump backwards. He thrust the point quickly into the man's chest, killing him. As the corpse fell, Daine looked up, towards the black cloaked figure.

There was no time to dodge. The dark energy blast slammed into him, causing his sword to fly out of his hand, and sending him flying off the edge of the cliff.

Hope had seen the energy blast, and saw him fall. "Daine!"

_Damn it… what a time to let my guard down… I guess this is the end…_ Daine thought as he began to fall.

But Ark had heard Hope's scream, and did not hesitate. He dropped his pistols, and leapt over to the edge, managing to barely grab Daine's right hand with his own.

Daine looked up. "Ark!"

"Hold on!" Ark said as he grasped onto the side of the cliff with his left hand.

_This feeling… what is it? His right hand… no… I can't think about this now,_ Ark reminded himself.

"Nice try, but you're too late."

The figure's voice was the only warning they had before another energy blast hit Ark, sending him off the edge, Daine falling with him.

Everyone turned when they heard the two cries.

"No!" Hope exclaimed.

"What happened?!" Varen asked.

"Daine… and Ark…" Karen managed to say. She too had seen them fall.

Daine still had an iron grip on Ark's hand as he fell, but that was from instinct. His mind could only think about the hopelessness of it. _So I'm going to die… it's so sudden… it was too short of a time… why must it end like this?!_

But then Ark pulled him over, wrapping his arms around Daine's waist.

"What are you doing?!" Daine exclaimed.

"I'm trying to save your life."

Then they went down through the trees, and Daine knew no more.

-----

"They could not have survived a fall such as that," the cloaked person said.

Although stunned by what had happened, most of the others forced themselves to bring up their weapons. There were still six other soldiers, including the second in command.

"Why? Why did you want to kill Daine?!" Hope cried.

"So you knew he was the marked one all along?" the figure inquired.

"Only Hope, Yamato, and I knew," Karen replied.

"I'm lost," Varen complained.

"We'll explain later," Karen told him.

"It was our orders," the figure stated. "We were to kill the marked one, for reasons one as low as I have no business in knowing. I just follow my orders."

"What did you do to Daine and Ark?" Hope asked. "You hit them with… energy of some kind?"

"Yes. Magic."

"Magic? What the hell? There's no such thing as magic," Yamato stated.

_Gaignun?_

_Magic… it could be true. This man has killed many on the quests he has been sent in. Although he has never even had to have blood splash onto his hands, he is coated with the scent of it…_

"Believe as you wish." Then the figure lowered the cloak hood, revealing his face. The man looked to be about thirty. He had dark brown hair and light brown eyes that observed the group carefully. "You may call me Stephen. I can see that in a fight, I am outnumbered. I could probably still win, but it would exhaust me, something I do not like the idea of. So I challenge one of you to a duel. The winner will leave with their companions. The loser will die, along with their allies."

"It isn't like we have much of a choice," Hope realized, putting her bow back over her shoulder. "Alright then. If it's ok with the rest of you, I'll duel Stephen. He won't get away with killing two of our friends."

"Go ahead then," Karen nodded. "You've known Daine the longest out of the rest of us, so it's only right. And Ark… well, we all knew him equally, which in other words means 'not much'."

"Then let us do one thing," Stephen said. He brought up the menu and his Duel Disk, went to the Options tab, and pressed it, bringing up several more buttons. He selected the Shield Command, and set it from on to off.

"Are you insane?!" Hope exclaimed. "Without having the Shield, we can get injured by monster attacks! Having it off means we'll die when our Life Points are 0!"

"That is the point," Stephen said. "The loser will die instantly, and the winner will be in pain for a while. So are you ready?"

"…Yes," Hope nodded, turning her Shield off as well. "As for Deck Masters… I choose Fenrir."

"And I will select Exclusivity Virus," Stephen announced. In front of him appeared an object. Hope took a closer look, and staggered back.

"A cat's carcass?!"

"Yes. You might call it my Virus' home."

"You're sick…" Hope growled. "Now I really want to take you down."

Hope: 8000

Stephen: 8000

Hope took out a coin and flipped it. "Call it."

"Tails."

"…Nope, it's heads. I'll go first. I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode! (2000/1600) Then I lay two cards down. It's your turn."

"I shall begin by playing Distressing Choice. This allows me to select five cards from my deck and show them to you. You choose one, and it goes to my hand. The rest are discarded. I have chosen Sealed Exodia, Sealed Left Arm, Sealed Left Leg, Sealed Right Leg, and Killer Snake. Choose one."

"Whoa, wait! He has Exodia, but he's discarding the pieces? That doesn't make any sense!" Varen said, confused.

"What is Exodia?" Valor asked.

"There are five pieces for Exodia: Sealed Exodia, Sealed Left Arm, Sealed Right Arm, Sealed Left Leg, and Sealed Right Leg. If you have all five pieces in your hand at one time, then you instantly win the duel," Zari explained.

"Then why is he discarding an instant win combo?"

"I'm not sure… he's up to something though. Hope had better be careful."

"Keep your Killer Snake," Hope decided. "I know his effect-if he is in your Cemetery at your standby phase, you can put him back into your hand. So it won't matter if I don't let you keep him."

"That is correct. Now I will activate my Deck Master's ability. By discarding one card from my hand, I can declare a monster's name. All monsters of that name are instantly destroyed. I can only do this once per turn though. So I discard my Sealed Right Arm and call Panther Warrior."

The armored panther roared in pain before collapsing. The carcass was slowly decomposed before vanishing from the field.

"You really do take pleasure in suffering, don't you?" Hope said in disgust.

"Not as much as some. But yes, I do. That should be the least of your worries though. I now activate Pact with Exodia! I can only use this card when I have Sealed Exodia, Sealed Left Arm, Sealed Right Arm, Sealed Left Leg, and Sealed Right Leg in my Cemetery. When I use it, it allows me to special summon the monster Exodia Necros! (1800/0)"

"He doesn't look very strong," Hope noticed as the terrifying creature appeared.

"Perhaps not now, but soon enough, he shall be. Exodia Necros attacks directly!"

"Nice try, but I activate Destruction Ring! This destroys your Necros, forcing us both to take damage equal to its attack!"

The ring of grenades surrounded Necros, and exploded. But when the smoke cleared, the Necros stood their, still unharmed.

All Hope had time to say was, "What?!" before she was blasted by the Necros' attack.

Gaignun pushed her with his head. _Are you alright?_

_Yeah… it just hurts because the Shield is gone… ouch… I'll live…_ Hope forced herself to get back up.

Hope: 6200

Stephen: 8000

"My Necros cannot be destroyed by magic or trap cards," Stephen explained.

"I wish I had known that sooner," Hope muttered. "We'll see how long it can assist you though! I summon Mad Dog of Darkness! (1900/1400) He attacks your Necros!"

The dog savagely tore at Necros, but once again it did not seem to be injured, even though Stephen lost the proper Life Points amount.

Hope: 6200

Stephen: 7900

"He also cannot be destroyed by battle," Stephen told her. "I still do lose Life Points though."

"Now you tell me… what about monster effects?"

"If you can somehow get out an effect monster, then go ahead. That is one of the only ways to stop Necros. Is it my turn?"

"Yes…"

"On each of my standby phases, my Necros' attack is also increased by 500. (2300/0)"

"And I was wondering how it could get worse," Hope groaned.

"I will lay one card down, and then discard Killer Snake to call Mad Dog of Darkness. Now Necros attacks directly!"

"Not this time! I activate Emissary of Harmony, which causes your monster to do no damage to me."

"Very well. I end my turn then."

Hope looked at her card, and breathed a sigh of relief. "I lay one monster in defense mode, and one other card down. That's it."

"So, you got an effect monster? Too bad it will not help you! First of all, Necros gains another attack boost. (2800/0) Then I activate Ceasefire Treaty! This trap card forces all face down monsters to be flipped face up. It also makes it so that no flip effects are activated."

"Damn… this is gonna suck…" Varen winced.

Hope held her hand over her eyes. "No… all is lost… you flipped my Soul Tiger! (0/2100)"

Varen face faulted.

"Hey Hope, did I mention that I like your deck?" Ryei commented.

"Thanks," Hope grinned.

"Only because of the tiger," Varen muttered, getting up.

Ryei casually tossed a kunai into the air and caught it. "Care to repeat that?"

"I'll pass."

"A lure? Bah! You still lose 500 Life Points for each effect monster on the field, which means you lose 500 from my Necros."

Hope winced as she felt something on her right hand. She brought it up, and saw the number '500' carved into her flesh on the back of her hand before it faded away, leaving her hand stinging.

Hope: 5700

Stephen: 7900

"I discard Killer Snake to call Soul Tiger."

"Hope, be sure to torture him before you finish him off," Ryei ordered.

"Why did we even agree to go with these guys?" Yamato asked, looking at Varen and Ryei.

"The world may never know," Karen joked.

"Then I attack with Necros and end my turn."

This blast of energy was a lot more painful than the last one. Hope struggled to rise, still feeling burned from the blast.

Hope: 2900

Stephen: 7900

_I need a miracle here…_ Hope thought as she drew.

"I will lay one monster in defense mode, and one more card down. That is all."

"Again? Well, let's see how you react to this. Of course, my Necros gets a power boost… (3300/0) Then I summon Exclusivity Virus! (1600/1200)"

"You have another in your deck?" Hope asked.

"Yes. It comes in handy at times, since it can wipe out all of one Sub-Type, and its effect can be used multiple times. Now, I'll have my Virus attack!"

"You fell right into my trap," Hope smirked.

"What?"

"I activate Emissary of Harmony, which protects my monster, but still flips it face up. It's my White Tailed Black Cat! (800/500) Its effect allows me to return two of your monsters to your hand, and one of my monsters to mine! So I return my own Cat to my hand, while you lose both of your monsters!"

"You… oh well. I can still just use this. A second Pact with Exodia!"

"Not this time!" Hope declared. "I activate Magic Jammer! By discarding my Black Cat, your magic card is negated and destroyed!"

"Damn it… then I have to end…"

"I'll lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn," Hope said.

"Argh… I lay a monster of my own in defense mode… and end."

"I'll play Jar of Greed to draw two more cards… perfect!" Hope grinned. "I'll activate Change of Heart on your face down monster!"

"My Killer Snake… (300/250)"

"Ok. I'll sacrifice your Snake for Manticore of Darkness! (2300/1000) Then I flip summon my Blood Vors! (1900/1200) Both of them attack!"

Both monsters leapt at Stephen, hacking and slashing at him, leaving several deep cuts all over his body.

Hope: 2900

Stephen: 3700

"I also lay one card down before ending my turn."

"Not bad," Stephen sneered. "But did you think you could beat me that easily? You must have completely forgotten about my Exclusivity Virus! I summon him now!"

"I did not forget," Hope said calmly.

"I discard Killer Snake to call Animal Warrior, destroying both of your monsters! Now he attacks directly!"

"I activate Magic Cylinder, negating your attack and doing damage equal to your monster's attack power to you."

Hope: 2900

Stephen: 2100

Stephen got up, coughing weakly. "It's not over yet… I may have to end my turn now, but we'll see how you fare next turn."

"Pretty well, actually," Hope commented. "I summon Ninja Wonder Dog. (1800/1000) He attacks your Virus! Then I end my turn."

Hope: 2900

Stephen: 1900

"Oh, and you can't draw this turn due to my Deck Master," Hope told him as he reached for his deck. "When one of my Animals or Animal Warriors destroys one of your monsters due to battle, you're forced to skip your draw phase."

"Damn it… I discard Killer Snake to call Ninja Wonder Dog, and then end my turn."

"…I pass…" Hope said regretfully.

"Hm… this will do… I lay one card face down, and one monster. Then I end my turn."

"I summon another Blood Vors and attack your monster."

"My Killer Snake. Is that all? If so, I will discard Killer Snake, calling Blood Vors. Then I lay another card down and end my turn."

"…Good," Hope nodded. "I summon Dark Warrior Werewolf! (1600/600) Then I activate Wild Burst! This takes his defense value and adds it to his attack value! (2200/600) Now he attacks!"

"Now you have fallen into my trap," Stephen smirked. "My Magic Cylinder will negate your attack and force you to lose 2200 Life Points!"

"Oh, it looks like I forgot to mention my Werewolf's ability," Hope said. "When he's face up on the field, you aren't allowed to activate traps during your battle phase."

"…Damn it all…" Stephen paled as the Werewolf charged towards him.

Hope: 2900

Stephen: 0

The Werewolf suddenly started so fast that it was a black blur. It sped right through Stephen and the soldiers, slashing them all before vanishing. And right when he vanished, the corpses fell, blood flying everywhere.

"…I guess… that I won…" Hope shivered.

"Good duel," Varen congratulated her. "Don't feel too guilty about that jerk. Remember… what he did…"

"…Yeah…" Hope walked over to the cliff edge, looking down. "It's so… far down…"

"They wouldn't have stood a chance," Zarek sighed. "I hate to have to sound so harsh, but there's no denying what happened. We cannot waste time here while we are still being pursued. We can mourn once we are safe."

"…I suppose so…" Hope said softly. "But…" She wiped away a solitary tear that had escaped from her eye.

_He speaks the truth. We need to go, now. Those others came upon us without warning-if it happens again, we might not manage to fare as well._

_You're right… I just wish… I could have helped…_ Hope walked over to where Ark had dropped his pistols, and carefully picked them up to store in her sack. As she moved things aside, something caught her eye.

"What… is this?" Hope asked, lifting up the wooden flute she had found.

"It's Ark's," Zari said, recognizing it. She had been silent up to this point, thinking about their lost comrades sorrowfully. "But I do not see why it would be in there."

"Maybe he put it in there when he went to get supplies for us," Varen shrugged. "Either way, let's leave it in there. As a memento of sorts for Ark. And his pistols. We can have Daine's sword be one as well."

"True…" Hope carefully picked up the sword. "But without a sheath, it will be hard to carry along with us."

"I can hold on to it," Zari volunteered. "I have two spare sword sheathes in case something happens to mine… his looks to be about the same size as one of the spare sheaths I have." She slid the sword into the sheath. "It's not perfect, but it will do for now."

"Can you use three sword style?" Ryei asked with interest. "I've heard of it before."

"I know a little about it, but not enough to actually use it," Zari replied.

There was a pause as everyone stared over the cliff edge. All they could see was many tree tops, but each of them thought of their lost friends, having a few words for each in their hearts. Even though they had not known each other for long, they still felt the pain of their deaths. Valor in particular felt more shocked and depressed than most of them. He had finally felt himself start getting used to the entire group, and then two of his new friends were suddenly killed. And he had had hardly any friends in his short, yet painful life. Daine had tried to look out for him and Zari, and Ark had saved his life… it was hard to grasp onto the fact that they were gone. Even Zarek felt sadness, although he had lost far more than this before. Having faced harsher times did not soften the blow though.

"I guess… we should move on…" Hope sighed.

And without further conversation, they began walking onward, none of them looking back.

To be continued…


	11. Separations

Hooray for more updates! I'm enjoying writing this section and hope for some more updates soon. If the evil homework does not interfere, that is.

John: Ikari, joining up with them? Heh. That would be pretty entertaining… but…

Darkstar71: I'm glad you are enjoying this! It's always nice to have new readers. So, did they make it? Well, you'll see…

Captain Obvious: Hooray! More obviousness! And thanks for the compliment.

Demon Fan: Hm? What does his deck have to do with this? And how, pray tell, do you think Daine and Ark would live?

**Chapter 11: Separations**

Ikari was on the verge of wanting to smash his head into a wall to see if his theory was true. He was pretty sure it was; that wall could not have hurt his head as much as going through all of this pointless questioning was. They had asked him about any details he knew on the group, which were basically none. And the annoying thing was they would keep repeating their questions-Ikari was sure they had asked him at least five times if Varen was equipped or not with a weapon. And that wasn't counting how many times they had asked what kind of weapon it was. The sixth or so time they asked, Ikari stated that he carried a chainsaw, instead of katars like he had said the other five times. The sad thing was that they wrote this down as though they thought he was telling the truth.

_This is so damn stupid… I swear I'm going to kill you Varen…_

Then the two soldiers entered the room again. The first one spoke. "Well, we feel as though we have gotten enough information from you. You may leave now…"

_Yes!_

"…but be aware that you may be contacted another time for more questioning."

_…Go to hell._

"Do you understand?"

"It's crystal clear."

"Good. Then please proceed out."

Ikari walked out, and began running the second he was out of the building.

_Just you wait Varen… you're going to get it for this!_

-----

At first, all Daine could feel was pain. His whole body was sore, and he just wanted to fall back into unconsciousness, to be free from the agony he was experiencing…

_Wait… what happened? How did I get here? Where… the cliff! We were fighting… that's right! We fell off!_

He sat up swiftly, and instantly regretted it. His headache almost overwhelmed him, but he resisted the urge to lie back down.

_How am I still alive? Forget that… where's __Ark__? Is he… well, if I lived, he could too, right?_

Daine grabbed onto a nearby tree and used it as a support while he stood up slowly. Then he looked around the area.

He instantly caught sight of what he had been searching for, but the scene made him stare in amazement. Ark was lying on the ground nearby where Daine had been, but the area where they had landed had cratered in. It was not very deep, but the ground was still marred by the impact. The branches on the trees above the area had been ripped off the trees, landing around the area. Just thinking about how it had felt to go crashing through the trees made Daine wince. He was glad he had lost consciousness before actually hitting the ground.

Daine let go of the tree, and was able to stand on his own. He walked carefully over to where Ark lay, kneeling down beside him.

"Ark? Can you hear me?"

"So you are finally awake," he whispered, eyes still closed.

"I have no idea how we lived through that… heck, I'm not even injured really. Just sore all over. Kind of hard to walk, but I'll manage. What about you?"

"I cannot move," was his soft reply.

"What?"

"Every bone in my body feels as though it has been shattered. It will be impossible for me to move."

"Do you need help? I can try and bind your arms or legs if they're broken or something…"

"It is not necessary."

"But if I can help…"

"Do not try to. I would prefer to be left alone when it comes to healing."

"Well… if you insist…" Daine said doubtfully. "But what should we do now? We have to get back to the others somehow…" He looked up the cliff. "Ugh. It is not going to be fun trying to get back up that thing in our condition."

"Then leave me here, and go find them."

"Are you insane?! What if someone found you? They could easily capture or kill you in your condition!"

"And you are better off?"

Daine reached over to his sword sheath and winced. "That's right… I lost my sword in the fall… and you lost your pistols. As for our Duel Disks..." Daine looked over at his, which was currently folded up. Daine could recall once seeing an older model of the Duel Disk that could not fold up, but this one could. In its current state, all it looked like was a rather large bracelet. When the option to open it was chosen, it would instantly unfold. It was possible to take out the deck without opening the entire Duel Disk, but normally the deck was inside the holder for it as well, which covered the entire thing. "Well, at least it isn't broken. Geez, this must be made out of some really sturdy stuff... what about yours?"

He looked over at Ark's arm, and was again shocked to see that it wasn't even dented.

"Holy cow… if they can survive a fall like that without a scratch, I wonder if it's even possible to destroy them," Daine said in wonder. "They ought to use whatever material they're made out of for armor…" Daine shook his head, and got back on track. "At least I can duel, if necessary. And I can fight if I have to, even though I'm not very good at fist fights." He shrugged. "Well, even if you were in perfect health, I wouldn't be able to travel very far anyway. The only thing we can do is wait to recover. But this area is too open… we have to get under cover. I'm going to check out the area-I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Very well."

Daine walked towards the cliff, ignoring the pain that coursed through him every time he moved. He didn't like the idea of leaving Ark alone for very long when he was so defenseless, and he tried to quicken his pace. As he walked, he took the time to finally look at the sky. The sun was just starting to set, which was another reason to hurry-if he took too long, they would have to try to find their way through the forest at night time, which was not an option he liked.

Luckily, the cliff was only a few minutes away from their current location-if Daine had been able to run, he was sure he could have gotten to it in under a minute. He quickly looked around the cliff, and found something better than he had expected. It was a small area of the cliff with an overhang of some kind. Although it was not a very large place to hide under, it was big enough to protect the two of them if it began to rain or something similar. It was also more out of the way, so they were not as likely to be discovered by anyone passing by.

Daine went back over to where Ark lay. "I found an area to stay in. It's not perfect, but it's certainly better than being here."

"How far away?"

"Just a few minutes. Do you think you can make it?"

"I can't even rise," Ark stated.

"You can lean on me for support. I wouldn't be asking this of you, but this is a really bad area to be in right now. We don't have any choice; we have to move."

"True… I will follow your lead."

"Alright." Daine kneeled down. "Ready?"

"No-it is impossible to prepare for agony such as this. Continue."

Trying to work as quickly as he could, Daine took Ark's right arm and put it over his shoulders, and wrapped his left arm around Ark's back, pulling him upright. Although he made no sound, Daine could see from his expression that even that simple action was pure torture for him.

"Hang in there… it won't be too far from here."

Like Daine had expected, it took them longer to get there than it had for him to go alone, but he was surprised with how much quicker it was than he had guessed it would be. Ark forced himself to walk as fast as possible, if it could be called walking-more like staggering. Daine was impressed that he could make himself to go this long without collapsing, or even making a sound-he was completely silent the entire time, even when his red eyes became glazed over from the pain he was going through.

At last they reached the location. Daine carefully knelt down again, laying Ark down on the ground close to the rock wall. He closed his eyes once more, trying to take slow, deep breathes.

"Are you going to be ok?" Daine asked.

After a few seconds of silence, he responded. "After some time, yes. I just need to rest for a while."

"Are you sure you don't need any help with any wounds you might have?"

"They are fine. As I said, I prefer to not have any assistance with healing."

"If you're positive…" Daine sighed. "Try to get some rest. I'll keep watch."

When getting no response, he turned to see that Ark was already unconscious.

_Wish I could do the same, but someone has to stay awake. And that's out of the question for him, so I have to. Joy to the world. _

Daine sat down under the overhang as well, and took out his deck. After quickly going through it, he confirmed that he still had all of his cards, and put it back into the deck holder. _So we're basically stranded until we both heal enough to try to catch up with the others. All we have is our decks, which aren't going to be of much help to us when trying to survive out here. The only time they could assist us is if we are attacked by someone, and even then the attacker might not be in the mood to decide the outcome with a duel. And by the time we manage to recover, the group will be long gone, since they probably think we're dead. Just great. But I can't blame them-I'm amazed that we lived through that. How is it possible, anyway? I suppose the trees could have slowed down our fall, but not enough to keep us alive. So what happened? I guess I'll never know… but I'm thankful that we are still alive. _

He then had another thought, and opened another much smaller area in his Duel Disk. This was mainly used for keeping a coin or die in, in case they were needed to determine who went first or something similar. But in his, Daine had stored something else-his mother's ring. He was relieved to see that it was unharmed, and closed the area again.

_But I'm worried about the others. I have no idea why-they can't be in as bad of a position as us, right? But what about that cloaked guy? Who was he anyway? He said he had to kill the marked one… he wanted to kill me... _He looked at his right hand, with the glove still covering the pentagram. _But why?__ How could he even know about this? And he hit me with some kind of energy blast… Ark too, for that matter. Where did it come from though? I don't think he had a weapon-if he did, I did not see it. I hope the others fared alright against him…_

_Well, there's nothing to gain from worrying. Our first goal is to recover, and then we can decide on what to do._

He looked over at the now black skies, and the stars and moon that were showing. _It's strange. Back home, you could never see the stars unless you left the town itself. That's one reason I often went out, to just look at the stars. And the moon, when it was visible. But now I can just look up whenever I want to and they're there. I guess that's at least one advantage to traveling through all of this wilderness._

Then he leaned against the rock wall again. _Still, this is going to be a long night…_

-----

The rest of the group had not even given much thought to the idea of sleeping. With the conflict this afternoon, it had come to their attention that the soldiers could quite possibly catch up to them any minute now. Due to that, they were trying to get a lead over them while still possible. So they traveled throughout the night, stopping to rest a few times, but otherwise not halting. Luckily, they encountered no one else.

Throughout this whole time, there was hardly any conversation. The only person talking was Ryei, who said when they could stop and to continue going. Ryei had kind of taken the place of Daine as 'group leader'. While they had never actually referred to Daine as the leader of the group, he had made most of the final decisions based off of what the rest of the group said and his own view on the matter. So although he had not meant to be a leader, he had taken the role of one. It only made sense that Ryei should lead for now-he knew the area, and made smart choices as well. But Ryei was not really comfortable with the idea of staying in that position. He preferred to give advice to others who could make use of it, and to try to help as best as he could. But he was used to working alone, so he was still not used to trying to direct others. So while he did not mind leading the group for now, he was hoping someone else could try to direct them when they left the areas he was familiar with. If nobody volunteered… well, that bridge would be crossed when they came to it.

Something that Hope noticed was that while all of them were somewhat weary, Karen seemed much more tired than any of the others. She was keeping up with them fine, but she still seemed exhausted. However, Hope saw that she wasn't the only one who had noticed. Yamato seemed to be staying closer to her than usual, as though waiting for something to happen. He knew Karen much better than she did anyway, so she pushed the concern out of her mind.

It was starting to get light as dawn finally came. At around this time, Gaignun said to Hope, _I am going to hunt. I will catch up shortly._

_Go ahead._

"Where is he going?" Zari asked as Gaignun ran off.

"To hunt." Hope realized that this was the first thing anyone except for Ryei had said since they had left the area where they had fought.

At around that time, Ryei looked over at the cliff edge, then the woods once more. "Alright. This is where we go into the forest. I should be able to navigate it now without the cliff edge as a guideline."

They wordlessly walked into forest, although most of them felt a little bit of relief to finally be away from the cliff edge. As it became morning, they went deeper into the woods.

Then Hope suddenly heard Gaignun. _Hope! There are people, and they are coming towards you!_

At that moment, Yamato unsheathed his sword. "Someone's out there."

A few seconds of silence passed as the others took out their weapons instantly and they waited. Then several military men-at least twenty-leapt out, surrounding the group swiftly in a wide circle.

"I'm getting really sick of seeing these morons," Varen muttered. "Can't we have some new enemies that aren't military men for once?"

Then a black cloaked figure stepped out from the trees as well. Although the person's features were covered, they could tell it was a man when he spoke.

"So, it appears you are the ones we were searching for."

_Hope. I am outside of the ring of soldiers, behind the foliage. Should I attack?_

_Not yet. Be ready. When I say to, do it._

_I hear and obey._

"Another one of you? Haven't you gotten what you wanted?" Ryei growled.

"What? You have already met up with one of us?"

"Yeah, some guy called Stephen," Hope said in a loathing tone.

"Stephen, eh? One of our lower members, but one of us nonetheless… but he would not attack you unless you were indeed the ones we needed to go after. So, which one of you is the marked one?"

"What is with all this marked one nonsense?" Varen complained. "I really don't like being left in the dark, thank you very much."

"So you are unaware? Do any of you know about the marked one?"

"Three of us…" Karen said sadly, yet tiredly.

"You might as well leave now," Hope snarled. "Daine is dead. If that was your mission, you succeeded. Just leave us alone!"

"Ah… I see…" The man fell silent for a few seconds before going on. "As nice as it would be to not have to concern myself with any of you, I have special orders that cannot be ignored. I am afraid you will have to come with us."

"You may have us outnumbered, but that doesn't mean you can beat us!" Varen declared.

"You can't defeat us by just having many common soldiers," Zarek stated. "We have already fought enough of them to know how to combat them."

"True. That's why we will not be fighting you," the man said.

That was when a light grey mist began wrapping itself around them.

"What the heck is going on?!" Varen exclaimed, stepping back slightly.

"It's strange… my weariness… is now overwhelming…" Karen murmured before collapsing.

"What happened to her?" Zari asked.

"She's right… I feel… kind of tired…" Valor managed to say before he too fell.

"What the…" Before Varen could finish, he too was out cold. Yamato, Ryei, Zari, and Zarek didn't even have a chance to say anything before they were overtaken too.

_Hope! What is happening?!_

_Gaignun__… run… I can't… _Then he saw Hope collapse too.

Gaignun bared his teeth in a silent snarl. _I do not stand a chance at trying to fight off all of these soldiers. But if I leave, then they might be killed instantly…_

He stayed where he was, watching as another black cloaked figure came from the opposite side of the ring of soldiers.

"Well done," the man said.

"Thanks," the second figure laughed. Gaignun could tell from the voice alone that it was a woman. "So what do we do with them now?"

"We'll take them back with us, of course," the man stated. "But I need to examine them now, so that they do not manage to escape later."

"Yes, of course. I will head back now to tell the Commander that you are coming. What should I report?"

The man had knelt down beside Karen, putting his right hand to her forehead. "She seems to be the weakest when it comes to this…" Then his hand began to glow white. Karen did not even stir as he stayed in that position.

Then the man got up, laying her back down. "Say that the marked one and a companion of his are dead, due to Stephen. The others we have captured."

"Can do. See you soon." Then she walked off. Gaignun made a mental note of which direction.

_It seems like they are not planning on killing them. If so, there is a chance that I might be able to find some form of help. I am not sure what, but I must try._ With that decided, Gaignun walked slowly away from the area with the soldiers before going into a full run, heading back for the slope. He did not know of many areas on top of the cliff, so he knew that he had a better chance of finding people on the lower area.

The black-cloaked man was doing the same thing to every group member as he had done to Karen. He would place his glowing hand on their forehead, and when he had gotten what he wanted, he wrote down something on a notepad he had. Coincidentally, Hope happened to be the last one he went to. He concentrated for a few minutes, before abruptly rising, turning to the soldier that was second in command.

"Around this area, there is a black wolf. Assign some soldiers to find and kill that wolf. I don't care how; just make sure it is dead."

"Yes sir!" The second in command then went over to five of his men, talking with them for a few seconds. Then the five men left.

"It's done," he reported to the cloaked figure.

"Good. We can leave this place now. We'll be taking all of them with us. There are some… special requirements to what is needed for each one. I will take care of it personally."

"I understand, sir."

"Then let us go."

-----

It was around that time that Ark came to. Daine had been just watching the sun rise for a few minutes, and when he turned to see how his companion was doing, he saw the man eying him.

"Are you doing ok?" Daine asked.

"I feel somewhat recovered. I would say I can probably travel in two days."

"Two days?!" Daine said in disbelief. "But you could barely walk yesterday!"

"True. I will not be fully healed by then, but I will be able to go at a moderate pace. It is better that we try to catch up with the others as soon as possible, if we are to remain with them."

"Yeah, you're right… but it won't do us any good if you kill yourself while trying to travel," Daine pointed out.

"Then we will see."

"Yeah."

"You need rest as well. I can act as the sentry for a while."

"You sure?"

"There is no point in me being recovered if you are not."

"Then I won't argue. Thanks." Daine leaned against the wall again, instantly falling sleep there.

-----

Gaignun, on the other hand, had not paused to rest at all, even when he had finally made it to the bottom of the slope. Running nonstop was exhausting even for him, and he was on the point of wanting to collapse by the time he had arrived, but he continued forward anyway. There would be plenty of time for relaxing once Hope and her companions were safe.

Then, as Gaignun went further into the forest, he caught a faint scent of two humans. Even from this far away, he could tell whose it was immediately.

_Could it be…? _He sniffed deeply, and there was no mistaking it. _Daine and __Ark__ somehow managed to survive after all. That is very fortunate-if anyone has a chance of understanding me, then it will be them._

Gaignun was still a bit hesitant to go to Daine of all people for help though. His scent of old blood was beyond revolting, and Gaignun still could not bring himself to trust Daine. Ark too was strange to him-his scent was very bizarre indeed. But Gaignun did not feel a deep mistrusting for him like he did Daine.

_I should not be doing this. The reason I have lived this long is because I listen to my instincts-what good will it do to ignore them now? However, I am unable to help Hope and the rest of the group by myself. As much as I loathe it, I must ask them for assistance. Hope seems to trust Daine… maybe she sees something in him that I don't. Maybe she can know him better because she has experienced pain, like him. Or maybe the fact that she can understand him is what blinds her. _

He cocked his right ear, hearing something. When he realized it was the rasp of metal, of a sword leaving its sheath, he leapt ahead instantly, barely avoiding an attack from a military man that had leapt out suddenly.

Gaignun growled as he looked around, realizing there were five. He had been so distracted by his thoughts that he had not even noticed their stench. He quickly considered his options. Normally, he could have killed at least a few of them before they could even get the chance to try attacking him again, but he was very weary, and being outnumbered put him at a disadvantage. He had also been taken by surprise, and could see that there was no way he could gain the advantage at this point. So with a snarl, he ran into the woods, following Daine and Ark's scent as the soldiers pursued him.__

-----

Something caused Daine to awaken. When he opened his eyes, he was still shaking. He reached up and discovered his forehead was covered with cold sweat.

_Again?__ Why can't I ever remember these dreams I am having?_

"Are you alright?"

He turned to see Ark was looking over at him from his position on the ground. He had still apparently not been able to force himself to move around.

"Yeah… did you wake me up or something?"

"You seemed to be panicking."

"Thanks then. I don't really remember what I was dreaming about, but whatever it is, it's been plaguing me for a while." Daine started to stand up, but ducked back quickly before slamming his head into the rock above. He stepped out from under the overhang, looking at the sun's position. "So, it's about noon…"

Then he heard something, and stepped back towards the overhang, but did not go under it. "I think someone's approaching," he said softly.

"…As do I."

Then a figure suddenly leapt out of the bushes, running over to Daine, stopping in front of him while panting heavily.

Daine was shocked to see who it was. "Gaignun?! What are you doing here?"

He did not have a chance to continue wondering about that though, as the five soldiers came out of the dense trees. The lead soldier examined Daine warily. "You! You were supposed to be dead!"

"Seems like I'm good at defying fate," Daine stated.

Another soldier noticed Gaignun, who was standing next to Daine. "Sir! The wolf!"

"Yes, I know," the leader snapped. He was preoccupied by something else he saw though-Ark. "Wait… the boss said that two of you had fallen. Did both of you survive?!"

"So what if we did?" Daine said.

"What should we do, sir?" another soldier inquired.

"…The boss doesn't know these two are alive. As long as we kill them, they will not need to know of this inconvenience. We only need to bring the wolf's head with us, and make sure these two aren't alive to interfere."

Gaignun growled fiercely at them as Daine braced himself. "Just try it!"

"You are in no condition to fight," the leader pointed out. "Your friend doesn't seem like he is about to be much of a help, and that wolf isn't going to be much of a help. You also happen to be unarmed."

"It doesn't mean I'm going down without a fight," Daine snarled.

"There isn't much you can do to resist," one of the soldiers commented as he stepped forward, sword drawn.

"What's going on here?"

Everyone turned to see that two men had come out of the forest. The older of the two, who looked to be in his late forties or early fifties, was built heavily, and wore deep blue chest armor with a cape of the same color, black pants, and brown, worn old boots. His hair was black, with streaks of grey in it, and he had grey eyes. On his back, a broadsword was strapped that looked to be about the same size as Yamato's.

The other one looked to be younger, probably in his late teens if not early twenties. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and black pants. He had on purple fingerless gloves with black stripes that went up to his elbows, and socks to match. The socks were somewhat odd though-they covered the arch area of his foot, but not the heel or toes. He also wore black sandals. He had short black, spiky hair, and brown eyes. He also had a black headband on that had a metal section in the center. The headband's straps came down on his left side, to his shoulder, and on the metal part was a yin-yang symbol. Across his back were two katanas, strapped on in an X shaped pattern.

Daine examined the two of them warily while the soldier that had been coming for him stepped away from Daine, towards the new arrivals. "Who the hell are you?"

"We could ask the same of you," the younger one answered in a light-hearted tone. Daine could tell that he was the one who had spoken first by his voice. The other man just looked on at the scene, seemingly bored with the proceedings.

"You are in no position to be the questioners here," the soldier stated, bringing up his sword once more.

"Wait! What do you think you're doing?!" another soldier exclaimed.

"We can't have any eye witnesses!" the first one declared, lunging at the younger man.

The man didn't even see what had caused his death as the man drew his two katanas, slicing through him easily. In fact, none of them really managed to see it-all they were able to see was the soldier trying to attack, and a split second later his corpse was on the ground, the young man holding his two katana.

"Anyone want to answer my queries now?" he asked.

The other soldiers stepped back, except for the leader. "You are an excellent swordsman, but do you honestly think you can defeat all of us?"

The older man now seemed somewhat annoyed. He drew his sword, and before they could respond, he leapt forward, slicing apart the other three soldiers with no effort.

"Yes," he said coldly as he held up his bloody broadsword once more.

The leader looked at his men's bodies, then back at the man. "So I have no chance when it comes back. But I notice that you have a Duel Disk. If you are indeed a duelist, then let us settle this through a game. The loser shall die."

Daine had not even noticed that they had Duel Disks until that was pointed out. But as he watched, the man wiped his broadsword on one of the soldier's uniforms calmly, sheathed it, and activated his Duel Disk.

"Very well. I do not expect it to take long, when it comes to an idiot like you."

"Say what?" the leader snarled.

While they were distracted, Daine knelt down next to Gaignun. He could see that the wolf did not seem to be injured-just tired.

"What do you suggest that we do?" Ark said softly.

"We'll watch. We know that the soldiers wanted to kill us, but these new guys don't seem mad at us. Maybe they won't be concerned with us."

As he finished speaking, he noticed the other man was coming over to them. Daine rose again, standing in front of Gaignun and Ark. "Are you against us as well?"

"When we came in here, we were neutral," the man stated. "But Cyres can't stand it when people look and act like idiots. And those soldiers were certainly falling in that category. Oh, Cyres is my companion over there. I'm known as Getsu."

"So you won't try to kill us suddenly? Nice to know that we aren't being chased by everyone in the area. I'm Daine. This is Ark, and the wolf's name is Gaignun."

"A wolf… well, I've seen stranger," Getsu shrugged. "You both seem to be having some difficulties."

"Injuries that will heal," Ark responded.

"And you are being chased… why?"

"For being wanted criminals, or something like that," Daine sighed. "We don't even know why we should be hunted down for what we did anyway. Apparently, we helped some 'dangerous criminals', but we don't see how they are even criminals anyway. So the military and anyone who wants a reward pretty much is after us." Although they had been having trouble recently, Daine couldn't help but trust that this duo didn't mean them any harm, like Getsu had said.

"I see. Well, be comforted that we have no interest in anything like that," Getsu said, staring at Daine. After a few seconds, Daine felt somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze, but did not turn away.

_Hm__… there is indeed something unique about him,_ Getsu thought. _But he isn't what we've been searching for. Even I can tell that. The only question is… what is he?_

After a few more moments, he turned to watch the duel as it began, much to Daine's relief. He too looked over there as Gaignun went under the overhang to lie down beside Ark, watching as well.

The leader had not been listening to their conversation. "So, what is your name? I'm known as Kendall."

"I do not even see a point to giving my name to one as moronic as you."

"Your high and mighty attitude is really starting to tick me off. We'll see how well you fare!"

Cyres ignored his complaints, taking out a card. In a few seconds, a humanoid monster appeared on his field. He had on silver armor with green lines that formed designs. He also had a darker green cape over his armor. His long blonde hair went down beyond his shoulders, and he had a neat mustache of the same shade. His calculating eyes were blue, and he had a gold circlet with a red jewel in the center on his forehead.

_I recognize that monster-Freed! _Daine realized. _So Cyres uses a Warrior deck as well?_

"What?"

"Undefeated General-General Freed," Cyres stated. "Pick your Deck Master."

"Oh, right… I choose Magnet Valkyrion!"

The creature that emerged was completely metal. Its legs, body, and arms were silver. It had pink wings, and its head was yellow. All over its body were small, gold circles that said either N or S. If it had any eyes, then they were not visible, since its face was covered with a visor. It also carried a sharp sword.

Cyres: 8000

Kendall: 8000

"I go first," Kendall announced. Not even giving Cyres a chance to protest against his decision, he said, "I play one monster in defense mode and two cards down. That's all for me."

"I will activate Freed's Deck Master ability. By skipping my draw phase, I can search my deck for a level four or lower Warrior Sub-Type and add it to my hand." He shuffled his deck quickly. "Then I activate Cyclone on the card to your left."

"My Destruction Ring is destroyed…"

"Then I summon Dark Hero: Zombire. (2100/500) Zombire attacks your face down monster."

"My Magnet Warrior Alpha is destroyed. (1400/1700)"

"Hmph… so you are using a Magnet Warrior deck. Not a very strong theme though, is it?"

"You'll be forced to eat those words when I'm done with you!"

"…At least I will not forget why I want to kill you; every time you speak, you remind me. My Zombire's attack goes down by 200 for every monster it successfully destroys. (1900/500) I lay one card down and end my turn."

"Hah! Perfect! I too will activate my Deck Master's ability. By paying 500 Life Points, I am allowed to revive my Magnet Warrior Alpha!"

Cyres: 8000

Kendall: 7500

"And then I sacrifice Alpha, and the two monsters in my hand-Magnet Warrior Beta (1700/1600) and Magnet Warrior Gamma (1500/1800) to special summon Magnet Valkyrion! (3500/3850) He attacks Zombire!"

"I activate Attack Nullification to block your monster's attack, and cause your battle phase to end."

"No big deal," Kendall shrugged. "I end my turn."

"I skip my draw phase once more, to get this monster. And now I summon it-my Initiate Troops. (1000/1000)"

"What good will those weaklings do you?" Kendall sneered.

"I will activate their effect. By sacrificing them, I can destroy one monster on the field, and I choose your Magnet Valkyrion."

"What?! Damn!" Kendall swore.

"It's a pity that Zombire is not allowed to attack directly. So I will end my turn after laying down two cards."

"Hah! I have you now! I activate Cry of the Living Dead, to bring back my Valkyrion in attack mode! Now my Valkyrion will attack Zombire!"

"I will activate my trap, Magic Cylinder. Your attack is negated, and you lose Life Points equal to the amount of your monster's attack."

Cyres: 8000

Kendall: 4000

"Ugh. I lay one monster in defense mode, and end my turn at that."

"Then I will play my own Cry of the Living Dead. I special summon Initiate Troops, and sacrifice them to destroy your Valkyrion."

"…Damn it all."

"Then I summon Goblin Strike Team. (2300/0)"

_Yep…__ I was right. This is definitely a Warrior deck,_ Daine confirmed.

"Zombire attacks your defense monster."

"My Magnet Warrior Beta… (1700/1600)"

"Zombire's attack decreases again. (1700/500) Then I have Goblin Strike Team attack you directly. They are forced to switch to defense mode after attacking though. I end my turn after that."

Cyres: 8000

Kendall: 1700

"You haven't won yet! I play the equip card Early Burial, allowing me to bring back Valkyrion from my Cemetery at the cost of 800 Life Points!"

Cyres: 8000

Kendall: 900

"Now you can't possibly do anything to stop him with those blasted Initiate Troops," Kendall growled. "I will have him attack Goblin Strike Team, since Zombire can't hope to help in any way whatsoever. Then I end my turn. So what are you going to do without your precious Initiate Troops?"

Cyres looked at his drawn card, and smirked. "I activate Warrior's Return. This allows me to add one Warrior Sub-Type from my Cemetery to my hand. I choose Initiate Troops. Then I summon Troop Commander. (1200/400) When he is successfully summoned, his effect activates. It allows me to special summon one level four or lower monster from my hand to the field, and I will do so with Initiate Troops."

"…Damn. You. To. Hell."

"I sacrifice them, destroying your Valkyrion once more. Then Troop Commander finishes you."

Cyres: 8000

Kendall: 0

Kendall stepped backwards , shaking. "But… but…"

"Rules are rules," Cyres said coldly, drawing his sword and slashing Kendall in the chest. He fell, dead before he hit the ground.

Daine forced himself to watch the man die. He had still not grown used to these bloody deaths, although he had not let it show in the past few days.

After Cyres had cleaned and put away his sword again, he walked over to them, eyeing Daine.

"Nice job," Getsu commented.

Cyres looked at Daine for a few more seconds before turning back to Getsu, lowering his voice to a whisper. "I knew he was not the one we wanted. But he still feels strange."

"I noticed," Getsu nodded. "I can't tell why though. Have you ever felt anything like it?"

"No. All I know is that this dark energy is very strong."

Daine was not able to hear them, so he just waited politely for them to finish talking. But Gaignun could make out their words easily. _So they too notice that something is wrong with Daine. Good-I am not alone in my thoughts._

"So what should we do?" Getsu whispered.

"…Nothing at the moment. We have to continue with our mission. Perhaps we can look into this more if we have time later."

"Sounds good to me." Getsu turned to Daine, raising his voice. "Well, it's been fun meeting you, and I'm glad we could help, but we have to get going. We're in the middle of trying to accomplish something. Will you be alright out here?"

"Yes," Daine nodded. "I'm sure Gaignun can chase off anyone else that comes once he has rested for a bit."

"Then we have to leave. We'll probably meet again sometime," Getsu said. "So until then, farewell."

"Same to you," Daine replied.

Cyres eyed him one last time before they left the area, going through the trees.

_Now I face the problem of trying to figure out a way to communicate with them,_ Gaignun realized, looking at Daine and Ark. _But I have an idea that might work…_ He pawed Daine's leg.

Daine turned to Gaignun. "Why are you here anyway? Not like I'm ungrateful-it's great to see you here. But where are the others? You know, Hope and the rest of the group? Wait, why am I even talking to you?" he said in exasperation. "I must be too used to seeing Hope speak to you. It isn't like you can understand me, is it?"

But Daine was amazed by what happened next. Gaignun, staring up at him, nodded.

"What the… wait. No way. Can you actually tell what I'm saying?"

Gaignun nodded again.

"Impossible…" Daine breathed.

"I would say it is very possible after some things that have occurred in the past few days," Ark stated. "Hope certainly acted as though Gaignun was intelligent. Now we know why."

"So you are smart enough to know how to communicate!" Daine realized.

Gaignun nodded once more.

"Ok… so where are the others? No, never mind… I need to stick with yes or no questions. Are the others safe at the moment?"

Gaignun shook his head.

"No? What happened to them? Er… wait. Let me see… ok. They're alive, right?"

A nod.

"Good. But that means… are they captured?"

Another nod confirmed his suspicions.

"Do you know where?"

Once more, a nod.

"Good. So is that why you came down here? To try to find help for them?"

Gaignun nodded once more.

"Did you know we were alive? Does anyone else in the group know?"

He shook his head.

"Well, at least the enemy will have no way of knowing it either then. We can find and save the others hopefully before they do discover that we lived." Daine sighed. "I'm worried… do you think we can make it in time to help them before the enemy does anything?"

"We can only hope so," Ark said softly.

Daine looked up at the overhang above them. "But we can't even do anything until we recover… and by then, it might be too late…"

Gaignun stood and walked over to the front of the overhang, lying down in front of it.

"Are you offering to keep watch?" Daine inquired.

Gaignun nodded.

"Thanks. That helps a lot," Daine said gratefully. "I'm exhausted, and I know Ark needs rest too."

"When we wake, we can decide what to do based on our health," Ark stated.

"Yeah… Gaignun, if I'm not up by dusk, wake me. You need rest too."

Gaignun gave him an unreadable look, but nodded before turning back to the outside.

In mere seconds, both were once again asleep as Gaignun watched the forest keenly.

To be continued…


	12. Imprisonment

And another one is done! I have been thinking about this section of the fic for a while now, so my updates are coming quicker. After all, it's basically just transferring thoughts to the computer.

Darkstar71: You bring up a good point with Gaignun. Guess you'll just have to read on to find out what happens, right?

John: Yes, I enjoyed that duel myself. Kendall's face would indeed be priceless... hehe…

**Chapter 12: Imprisonment**

The cloaked man walked into the room, closing the door behind him. Like usual, it locked immediately.

The woman turned to see him enter. "So you're finally back. Are they secured?"

"Yes. I have made sure none of them will be able to escape," the man stated.

"What is the verdict?"

"Almost all of them have enough potential to make them worth keeping alive. There is only one exception, and she will die on her own."

"Are you saying all of the others have something that makes them worthy of joining us?"

"Yes. Either their minds betray it, or I can sense the powers they have not discovered yet. The youngest of the group seems to fall into this category, along with a few others."

"Are you going to look into them?" the woman asked.

"Yes, I will. But not immediately. We need to contact him before we try to do anything."

"I already tried. He's not there."

"Then keep trying. I am going to check on the other one," he said, eyeing the other door in the room.

"Go ahead. I will tell you if I can get a hold of him."

-----

Gaignun looked up at the sky once more, and at last saw that dusk was approaching. It had about two hours, he estimated, and nodded to himself. It was time to awaken Daine.

He walked over to the teen, looking down at him. Asleep like this, we looked so vulnerable. Weakened by the day's events and his injuries, he probably would not even stir unless Gaignun intentionally tried to awaken him. But then again, Gaignun did notice that he seemed plagued by something though. He was shaking in his sleep, with an expression that spoke of his fear.

Gaignun's gaze moved to the teen's throat. He could end it now, if he wanted. He could slay this evil human, if he even deserved to be called a human. His stench made Gaignun's lips form into a silent snarl. He could do it. It could be over in a second, and Daine would die instantly.

But no. He certainly could not bring himself to do it, no matter how much he loathed Daine's dark scent. Attacking one who was in the form of a maturing pup was not something that Gaignun would be able to do. He needed him anyway, to save the others-Ark alone wouldn't stand a chance, and while the chances of succeeding might still be slim, two humans were better than one. Also, he thought of what Hope had said. She seemed to trust him. But why? What did she see in him? Even if they had something in common, she would not let that overrule her common sense, would she?

Gaignun shook his head. _No. I still have a conscience. Or at least, I believe that is what it is. Do we animals have consciences? I like to believe so. At least, I think that is what is holding me back from killing someone who has caused us no harm. Yet, anyway._

Gaignun pawed Daine's side roughly, and the boy opened his eyes, panting. He looked around the area frantically, before seeing Gaignun and relaxing.

"Oh yeah… you were supposed to wake me up about now, weren't you? Thanks." He slowly got up, and walked outside, trying to see how his injuries felt. He was relieved to see that they were hardly paining him now.

"Good… I will be able to keep a good pace," Daine told Gaignun, who watched him silently. "Now we just need to see how Ark will be feeling. You need to get some sleep. What do you think? Would nightfall be a good time to check?"

Gaignun nodded, and then curled up next to Ark, drifting off to sleep.

With a sigh, Daine sat down again underneath the overhang, staring out at the clearing. There were still some traces of blood, but the corpses were gone-Gaignun had probably dragged them away elsewhere. If he hadn't eaten them. But Daine highly doubted that-if Ryei's tigers didn't eat human flesh, it was unlikely Gaignun did.

Daine spent the next hour considering what they would do. Gaignun had no way of warning them on what they would have to do to rescue their friends, and what enemies they would have to face. He had no way of knowing what to do about this though, so he decided to preoccupy himself by remembering the duel he had witnessed this afternoon. It had given him a few pointers. While Cyres had been facing a very pathetic duelist, he had still seen that Cyres seemed to have a style somewhat different to him. He seemed to enjoy using strong monsters for the main assault with effect monsters to back them up if needed. Daine preferred to focus more on using effect monsters combined with the occasional equip card to strengthen them, while using traps for safety measures. He considered Cyres' strategies while watching the sun set.

Finally, it began to grow dark. Daine walked over to Gaignun, who raised his head, giving a soft growl.

"It's just me," Daine assured.

Gaignun nodded, and got up, stepping outside.

"Do you feel ready?" Daine inquired.

Gaignun nodded again.

"Alright, that makes two of us… whether we leave now or not depends on Ark, I suppose." Daine knelt beside Ark, and said in a louder tone, "Ark, wake up. We need to see if we can go now."

Ark opened his eyes, looking over at Daine. "You are recovered?"

"Yeah. And so is Gaignun. Don't feel pressured though. If you're not ready to travel, then we'll stay here."

In response, Ark carefully lifted his right arm, grasping onto the rock wall. Using it as support, he managed to rise, stepping out into the open as well.

After a few seconds of thought, Ark nodded. "I can make it. I might be slower than usual, but yes, I am prepared enough."

"You're positive?" Daine questioned.

"Yes. I have been through worse than this."

"Alright, then let's go. We don't know how much time we can afford to spare," Daine stated, looking up the cliff. "Gaignun, we're counting on you to lead the way."

Gaignun nodded, and started trotting forward. Daine and Ark followed him easily enough. The path Gaignun was taking was close to the cliff edge, so there was not as much foliage to block their path. The cliff also was beneficial for Ark-when he needed support, he would be close enough to the cliff to make sure he could grab onto it to avoid collapsing.

But Daine discovered that the longer they walked, the easier it got to continue on. Even Ark was going at a good pace, considering his condition. Much quicker than he had planned, they were at the slope once more.

"We're making good time," Daine stated. "Let's get up the slope. After that, we can take a breather."

Once more, they had little difficulty. Gaignun constantly looked around ahead to make sure nobody was ahead before coming back to see how his two companions were doing.

Finally, they reached the top, and took a few minutes to rest. But soon Gaignun was growling with soft impatience, and with a sigh Daine got up again, Ark following. "Lead on Gaignun."

And they continued to follow the wolf, using the cliff's edge as a guideline once more but staying a safe distance away from it.

-----

Ikari looked at the slope with distaste. "Well, if this is the way I have to go, then so be it. I'm nearly positive they went this way…" Ikari shrugged, and began walking up the slope.

About halfway up it, it started to rain softly. But soon, that gentle rain began to fall much swifter, making it very hard to see, even with the occasional flashes of lightning.

"This is such a pain," Ikari complained. "I hope I don't walk off the edge of the slope or something…"

As he said those words, he stepped forward, and suddenly slipped, falling down the slope with a yelp. After a long and painful trip, he crashed into the ground at the bottom of the slope.

Ikari groaned as he tried to stand up, wincing at how he felt. Not only was he completely covered with mud, but he was in pain all over.

"Screw the slope," Ikari snarled. "I'm taking the lower path…"

-----

Hope slowly opened her eyes, trying to remember what had happened. They had been trying to find an abandoned town to hide in… and then they had been ambushed! Hope shook her head fiercely, clearing away the rest of her weariness. Then she examined the area she was in.  
She was in what appeared to be a jail cell of some sort. There wasn't much to say about it-the floor, ceiling, and walls were made out of brown stone, except for the front of the cell, where there were sturdy iron bars. It was empty, except for another occupant who had not awakened just yet.

"Karen!" Hope staggered over to her, shaking her shoulder. "Karen, wake up!"

She moaned slightly, and then sat up warily. "What happened?"

"I'm not very sure myself," Hope admitted. "All I know is that we are not in a good situation."

"Yeah… where is Yamato? And the others?"

"I have no idea." Hope walked over to the bars and looked outside. There were a few other cells as well, but they were all empty. She went back over and sat down. "We're alone here, wherever this is."

"Ok… any ideas?" Karen inquired.

"With our weapons gone, no… wait. Hang on." Hope then mentally called out, _Gaignun_

There was no reply.

_Gaignun__! Can you hear me? Please respond!_

Once more, silence.

She did not give up there though. She called out with her mind, trying to discover any animals in the building. But there wasn't even a mouse. She could not find anything.

"Never mind," Hope sighed, coming back to her senses. "I guess there isn't much we can do besides wait."

"I suppose…" Karen suddenly broke off, looking at her left leg.

"What's the matter?" Hope inquired.

Karen tried to speak calmly. "Hope, you're aware that I had some of my organs replaced, correct?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Once per year, I am supposed to have these parts recharged. If they are not, then my body limbs begin to shut down to conserve power for my vital organs. Usually, as a warning of this, I begin to feel weary about five hours before I begin to shut down."

"Yeah… I did notice you seemed tired today…" Hope froze. "Are you saying that you're limbs are beginning to shut down now?!"

"Yes. I've already lost this leg…"

"But how do you recharge?"

"There is a device that can be used to recharge me, but I don't have it. Do you know that circular device on Yamato's arm? That's the item he uses to recharge me."

"So he knew it was almost time to do that," Hope realized. "But… we don't even know where Yamato is!"

"That's the problem…" Karen said softly. "I-I've never actually had to go this far in the process before I could be recharged. The worst that has happened is that I have lost a leg and an arm. So I don't know how it will feel to continue on. Will I lose more body parts, or what? It frightens me…"

"I can see why," Hope nodded. "How quickly will your other parts shut down, if any others do?"

"Well… I'm really not sure. Like I said, I never lost that much. I should lose the use of my arm in… about an hour is how it worked last time. I don't know if it will be the same this time." Karen was shaking slightly, looking down at her disabled part.

"It will be ok," Hope assured. "We were captured, remember? I think they're trying to keep us alive. If we can somehow contact someone, maybe they'll let Yamato help you."

"Maybe…"

"Don't give up hope. We'll see how it turns out, ok? Just hang in there. Remember, I'll be with you this whole time."

"Yeah… thanks…" Karen smiled weakly.

_If only there was an animal nearby! But I guess we'll have to go through with this…_

-----

Yamato looked around the cell he was trapped in. It looked just like Hope and Karen's cell, although he had no way of noticing that.

There were also three guards though. He had noticed them staged at certain areas in the hallway of cells. Yamato ignored them though, thinking of his own dilemma.

He had noticed earlier that Karen had been getting tired, a sure sign that she would need to be recharged soon. But now he was in some unknown location, and had absolutely no idea as of where Karen was, and if he was too late or not to save her. He had to try, but there was no way he could get out of this location. The guards were too far away from his cell to be able to kill them and see if they had the keys to the lock. He couldn't think of much else to try though.

He leaned against the back wall, staring down at the device on his arm, trying to think of any other way to escape, but could not think of one. He could not stand being here, unable to do anything when Karen would be in another location, suffering because of needing to shut down.

But try as he might, he still could not come up with a way to get out.

-----

Even when Varen opened his eyes, he was still unable to see anything. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was blindfolded with a black cloth, hence his loss of sight. His hands and legs were also bound, making it pretty much impossible to move at all, or get the blindfold off.

_What happened? We were attacked… some grey fog-like stuff came, and then nothing. Where am I now? Where are the others? Damn it… I can't even tell what my surroundings are with this thing on. Wait… why would they blindfold me when I can't even move anyway? Is it… possible that they somehow know about what I can do? No, that can't be. I never even told anyone in the group. But still, how would they know then? Maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions. Either way, they're darn lucky that I can't see. Or else I'd be out of wherever this is instantly._

_Where are the others, anyway? _He listened for a second, but could hear nothing besides his own breathing. _Nobody else here… dang.__ What's going on?_

-----

Zari stood up awkwardly, examining the cell she was in.

_So we've been captured… but where are the others? _She looked outside and saw two guards, one standing nearby each doorway at the end of the hall. But nobody else was there. She went to the back and sat down, and considered the few options she had. She quickly confirmed none of them would work, and eyed the room again.

_We must have been split up. Have we all been caught? It's hard to remember what happened… I hope the others are all right. I wish I could help, but I can't see any way of getting out of here…_

-----

Valor woke up at the back of the cell he was in. He instinctively backed into a corner, looking around warily.

_Where am I? And where are the others? Are they here too? Or am I alone? I can't remember… what happened to them… _He hastily wiped away a solitary tear that had escaped. _I may be alone, but that doesn't mean anything. Someone will come. Right? I hope so… I don't want to be alone again... never again… Zari said I would not have to go through that again... that she would make sure I didn't have to. I hope she's right… please… someone come…_

-----

Zarek's position was a rather uncomfortable one, as he realized when he became conscious. His left arm was clasped to the wall, right over the area where his switch blade was concealed. This meant that his only weapons, which were his blade and electric attacks he could generate from his left hand, were now useless.

_They're more intelligent than most,_ Zarek thought dryly. _It doesn't help the situation at all though. I can't do anything now… except wait for something to happen, and hope that the others are in a better position than I am._

-----

Ryei came to in yet another, similar cell. The first thing he noticed was something around his neck. He reached up and found that it was an iron collar of some sort, with a chain attached to it. The chain was, in turn, attached to the ceiling. It was long enough so that there would be no chance of suffocation, but it was still up there.

_Interesting idea,_ Ryei thought, running his hand over the collar and finding a keyhole in it. _No chance in getting this thing off though. Still, this isn't a typical design one would use to keep another chained to one place. So why did they do this? Hold on… could it be that they know about my abilities? Hm… this is very suspicious. None of the others in the group know about what I can do, so how would they be able to figure it out? Perhaps… it seems like a very unlikely possibility. But maybe… no. I can't jump to any conclusions yet. I need more information first. _He thought for a minute. _Where did the rest of the group end up? Are they nearby? Or did they maybe manage to escape? Doubtful, but one can hope… _Again, he pondered the situation. _If only I could contact someone… wait! Maybe… it might be possible. I don't know if I have the range to do this, but I must try._

Ryei had only tried this once, and that was when he could see his target face to face. This would be harder. He closed his eyes, and tried to clear away his thoughts. Then he let his mind wander until he felt something-a connection he had managed to make.

_Hope! Can you hear me?_

-----

Karen winced suddenly. "My arm…"

"It's lost too?"

"Yes."

"It'll be ok…" Hope said, keeping her voice calm for Karen's benefit.

_Hope! Can you hear me?_

She froze as she heard the voice. For a second, she thought it might be Gaignun, but immediately dismissed the idea. This mind voice didn't sound like him at all. But then she realized who it was.

_Ryei___

_Excellent… we managed to connect. It looks like we can talk mind-to-mind now._

_Good! Where are you?_ Hope inquired.

Karen gave her a curious look. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing. I'm just thinking about something."

_I am currently in a cell of some sort. You?_

_Same here, but I'm not alone. Karen is with me, and she's in trouble. _

_What do you mean?_

_Karen has had some of her organs replaced with machine parts. She needs these to be recharged once a year, or she begins to lose functions such as her limbs. She's already lost her left leg and left arm. We have no idea on how bad it could get._

_I see. And how are they recharged?_

_Yamato has the device to help her, but we have no idea of where he is. Do you know?_

_I am alone in this section. Sorry that I can't be of more help than that._

_It's alright. We'll see how it turns out and hope for the best._

_I have a question,_ Ryei stated. _Are you restrained in any way?_

_Restrained? We too are trapped in a locked cell, but that is about it. Why?_

_Oh, I just find this odd. I have an iron ring of some sort around my neck, which is chained to the ceiling. I found this to be an odd thing to do, and was wondering if anything similar had happened to you._

_No, nothing. That is odd…_

_Yes, it is. Hm… I think our connection is beginning to break. I am not used to talking this way, after all._

_Only to be expected. I'll try to contact you later, ok?_

_As will __I.__ Stay in touch.___

Hope opened her eyes, and saw Karen staring at her.

"It was nothing," Hope shrugged. Then she began telling Karen of a duel she had played a long time ago against a random player in a city who used a Fire deck. There wasn't really any reason to be recounting past experiences, but Hope knew that when animals or humans were frightened, another voice often helped to calm them down. So she continued talking, even if nothing she spoke of was of any real importance.

After a certain amount of time, Karen announced that her right leg was now gone. And after even more time, her other right arm left her as well. By now, she was very nervous, and shook slightly. Hope continued to speak to her though, running her hand over Karen's left and disabled one.

-----

The rain was still pouring down fiercely, but that did not stop Daine, Ark, and Gaignun. They retreated even further from the edge of the cliff just in case, and tried to stay under the trees. It worked pretty well, although they still got soaked.

"Gaignun! How close do you think we are?" Daine asked as they kept walking.

Gaignun turned to him, thinking for a moment. Then he pawed the ground three times.

"What does that mean?" Daine asked in confusion.

"Perhaps three hours?" Ark inferred.

Gaignun nodded.

"I see. You think we should rest soon? We must be at least half way there, right?"

Gaignun considered before nodding.

They went a little bit deeper into the woods and found a more dry area to stay in for a few minutes. Daine sat down gratefully, Ark joining him. Ark seemed to be in a fair amount of pain, but nothing that would stop him from continuing on. Daine still felt fine, just a little tired from the long walk. Gaignun was not tired at all, but instantly ran off.

"I suppose he's going to hunt or something," Daine guessed. "Heh… I've grown so used to Hope saying that that I actually knew that." He leaned back against the trunk of the tree. "I wonder what their reaction will be when they see us alive?"

"Shock, most likely," Ark replied as he stared into the rain.

"True. Maybe they'll even be happy to see us, if that's possible," Daine joked. Then he changed the subject on something he had noticed in the past day. "You know, when we first met you, you hardly talked to us at all. But while we've been separated from the others, you've talked more than I ever thought you would. Why?"

"I often do not speak to those I cannot trust," Ark stated.

"Then… why talk to me?"

"You did not abandon me," was Ark's reply. "I usually would not let myself lower my guard around another, but you have assisted me twice. That has made you earn the small amount of trust I have."

"Twice?"

"The mansion," he said shortly.

"Oh. Well… thanks," Daine smiled slightly. "It's odd to hear someone say that they trust me. If anyone ever has, I cannot remember when. So I'm glad to know that at least someone can trust me"

Ark nodded, but did not respond otherwise.

After a few minutes of silence, Gaignun came up to them, licking away a spare bit of blood that had stained the fur on his jaw.

"Looks like you found something," Daine commented.

Gaignun nodded, and then stepped forward in the direction they needed to go.

"I guess it's time to move on," Daine sighed as he rose.

-----

Hope had fallen silent a few minutes ago, wondering if she should try to contact Ryei again. But before she could reach a decision, Karen interrupted her thoughts.

"What the…?!"

"What's wrong?" Hope asked.

"My mouth… it feels weird…"

"What do you mean?"

"It's like… I don't know. I just don't know…"

Karen seemed very shaky at this point, but was still enduring it. Until a while later.

Karen started, feeling something strange. She cautiously took a sniff, and started shaking even more uncontrollably.

"Karen! What is it?"

"I can't smell anything… nothing at all! I've lost my sense of smell! Wh-what if I lose my other senses too?! Oh God…"

"Don't panic," Hope said firmly. "We aren't sure of that. Take a deep breath… yes, like that. Keep calm. You'll be fine…" Hope reached out with her mind. Having talked to Ryei once already, it was easier to find him this time. _Ryei__ Are you there?_

_It is not like I have anywhere better to be at this moment. What is it?_

_Karen. She's lost all of her functions for her arms and legs. Oh, and something odd happened with her mouth, but she couldn't explain it. And now she's lost her sense of smell._

_What? Well, I guess that makes sense in a way. As her functions cease to exist, her senses would go as well. Which can only mean that she has also lost her sense of taste. _

_Of course! Wait… that's two senses already! She'll panic! The only thing that has been keeping her together this long is the fact that someone else is there to comfort her-in this case, me. When she can't see or hear me, what then?_

_Then we had best hope it does not come to that. That is all I can say… _

_I hate being so helpless! _

_As do I. I'm sure Karen and the rest of the group does as well._

_Yes… sorry. I shouldn't be complaining._

_It's fine. Now go back to Karen. She will still need you._

_You're right…_

Hope opened her eyes again. "We can't jump to conclusions just yet. Relax. It will work out."

"I… hope so…" Karen whispered, still trembling.

Hope took Karen into her arms. "It will be ok. Just hold on… remember, you aren't alone."

Karen did not resist her grasp, just shaking as she accepted Hope's comfort.

The time was unbearably slow now. Every second, they knew that Karen might lose something far more vital than a sense of taste or smell. Hope kept speaking anyway, small, meaningless things, but they helped at times to keep her mind off of what was going to occur. She could not tell if they were affecting Karen at all, but she went on and on.

Then Karen stared down at her hand, which Hope still held onto. "Your hand… I can't feel it…"

Hope reached out with her other hand, running it over Karen's palm. "Nothing?"

"No… nothing… it's true! I am losing my senses!"

"I was afraid that you might have lost your sense of this taste… this seems to confirm it…" Hope sighed. Then she stroked Karen's useless hand, knowing that she would see what she could not feel. "You've come this far. Don't panic now! Come on… you can make it! Please, hold on!"

Karen kept shaking though, her eyes betraying her terror.

"Karen? Please, respond!"

"Yamato… where are you? Please, help me!"

"Snap out of it! Karen! It's me, Hope! Come on! Don't give up!"

"…Hope? I'm going insane!" she cried.

Then, after several minutes of this, Karen completely froze, and blinked. Then she said, in a frightened tone, "Hope? Are you there?!"

"I'm right here," Hope assured. "What happened?"

"I can't see! I'm blind!" she cried. "I can't… help, please! I don't want to be alone!"

"You aren't!" Hope exclaimed. "It's alright. You'll be ok. I won't leave. I'll stay with you."

"Don't… go…" Karen whispered, terrified.

"I won't. I promise I won't leave."

"Mother… why did you leave? Please, come back!" By now, Karen was crying heavily.

"Hold on! You aren't alone!" Hope told her.

"Mother… please…" Karen didn't even seem to notice Hope's voice.

"…Your mother won't abandon you, nor will I," Hope reassured her. "Please… listen to me…"

Karen finally fell silent, still crying heavily into Hope's shirt as she tried to comfort her friend.

-----

At last, Gaignun turned and headed deeper into the forest. Daine realized that if they were leaving the cliff edge, that must mean they were getting closer, and they followed Gaignun swiftly.

Gaignun stared at the clearing, trying to recall which way the woman he had seen had gone. The rain was confusing him, because it was wiping away any scents that might have helped him.

He finally chose the most likely direction, and headed in it, Daine and Ark still following. Gaignun followed the path he had seen the woman taking as best as he could, hoping that he could possibly be right…

Daine slowed down. "I think there's something ahead."

Ark and Gaignun slackened their pace as well, looking ahead. It was a apparently a large building, but it was hard to make out any details in the rain that was coming down.

"Gaignun? Is this the right place?"

Gaignun eyed the building. It could be right, but he had no way of knowing… unless…

_Hope! Hope, are you there? If you can hear me, respond!_

-----

Hope was still trying to comfort Karen, a hard task for her at the moment. But now that she was not saying anything, it was slightly better. Hope assumed that losing her senses was also causing Karen to lose her mind, and why not? She knew that if she was slowly being trapped in darkness, with nothing to connect her to the world, then she would be going insane.

_Hope! Hope, are you there? If you can hear me, respond!_

She stiffened, and then let out a sigh of relief. _Gaignun__! You're alright!_

_Yes. Where are you now?_

_In a cell in a prison-like location.__ Where are you?_

_Outside a large building.__ I am assuming you are inside. Do not worry. I will try to assist you._

_You managed to escape!_

_Correct. _

_I'm really relieved. But Gaignun, how can you get through this area by yourself? _

_I am not alone. Just hold on until we can get to you. Is the rest of the group with you?_

_Karen is with me at this moment, and I know Ryei is nearby. He managed to talk to me mind-to-mind. But that all I know. Gaignun, listen. Karen is in trouble. She really needs help. Every year, she has to have her artificial parts recharged by a device Yamato has, but since he's somewhere else…_

_What state is she in?_

_Her arms, legs, and all her senses but hearing are gone. She's panicking, and the only way to help is by having Yamato get to her. So please, be quick, but be cautious._

_Right.__ Tell Ryei that we are coming. Contact me if anything happens._

_Ok. Good luck!_

Gaignun turned to Daine and then back to the building, and started walking towards it.

"I guess he found the correct location," Daine commented as they followed.

When they came to the building, all they found was a stone wall. They walked around it, looking at the next side of the building for a door.

There was indeed a door, with two guards standing in front of it. Neither seemed very alert though; the rain was making them thoroughly miserable, and even if they had been watching out for any intruders, they probably would not have been able to see them through the rain anyway.

"Gaignun, can you take them out?" Daine requested. "We'll come when they're taken out."

In response, Gaignun ran out from around the corner, heading straight for the guards. The first one was taken out instantly when the wolf snapped his neck. The second turned in surprise, and immediately regretted it, for the last thing he saw was the black wolf's piercing yellow eyes, and his bloody jaws closing around his own neck…

Daine and Ark came over as Gaignun left the corpse. Ark tried to open the door, and shook his head. "It's locked."

Daine forced himself to reach into the first guard's pockets, and found a key inside his pocket. "This will probably open it."

Sure enough, as he tried it out, the lock clicked open. Daine cautiously looked inside, and when he saw there was nobody there, he stepped inside, his two companions following.

They were inside a hallway that was empty, except for two doors. The one to the left was locked, so Daine tried the right one. It opened, and he went forward.

This hallway was longer, and had three doors: the one they had entered through, one straight ahead of them at the end of the hallway, and one to their left in the wall. Daine tested the left one and confirmed that it was locked too. But as they stepped towards the door ahead of them, a man came through the previously locked door.

The man didn't even get a chance to cry out. Gaignun leapt, and in mere seconds the man was dead. Daine went to the corpse and saw a badge that showed his rank.

"One of the higher ranked soldiers," Daine noticed. "I wonder…" He reached into the man's pocket, and found a key ring with three keys on it. One was larger than the other two, but the other two seemed to be about the same size.

Ark was trying the left door again. "It must lock automatically."

"And it has no keyhole," Daine noticed. "Well, let's try this one then."

They walked over to the other door, but before Daine could open it, Gaignun pawed him roughly.

"What is it?" Daine inquired.

Gaignun walked over to the dead soldier and looked from it to the door they were about to enter. When neither seemed to understand what he was saying, he repeated the motion.

"There are soldiers behind this door?" Daine guessed.

Gaignun nodded, and then pawed the floor three times.

"Three of them? How should we proceed then?" Ark inquired.

"Ambush them and hope they don't react quickly enough to stop us?" Daine suggested.

"Gaignun can take out at least one, if not two. The third… well, one of us will have to do that."

"I'm not very good at combat when I have no weapons," Daine told him. "What about you?"

"I am not strong physically, but I can try."

"Alright. Then let's try this." Daine put his hand on the door knob. "Once I open this, Gaignun, charge in and take out the nearest two soldiers. Ark, go after the last one. Will that work?"

Neither replied.

"Then let's go." He flung open the door, and Gaignun sprung, Ark following.

The first soldier didn't stand a chance as the wolf took him out. The second and third ones were warned by their companion's scream though and responded. The second one rushed at Gaignun, swinging a sword at the wolf. Gaignun jumped back, avoiding it, but could not find an opening for attacking. That was when Daine rushed in, tackling the soldier from the side. Taken by surprise from a third attacker he had not known about, he lowered his guard. Gaignun leapt once more, slaughtering the soldier.

While they were fighting off that soldier, Ark had gone for the third one. That soldier drew his sword, but Ark ducked around it, grabbing his wrist to prevent him from using the weapon. The soldier in turn slammed his fist into Ark's chest, forcing him to let go. Then the soldier lunged at him, sword slicing through the air. Ark had no time to dodge the strike, so he instead ran straight at the soldier, ducking under the sword and crashing into him, causing him to go flying backwards into the iron bars of a cell door. The soldier got up, but his fierce expression vanished, replaced with shock. Then he fell, dead from the stab wounds on his back.

Yamato did not even look at the corpse, instead glancing over at the trio. "So, it looks like you lived."

"Somehow," Daine replied, stepping over the corpse of the second soldier. "Glad to see you." Then he noticed the small blades that came out of Yamato's gloves. Apparently, the soldiers had not known that he had hidden weapons. "Especially since you're armed, unlike us." Daine took out the three keys he had taken from the man and tried the largest one. To his relief, the lock clicked open. He tossed it aside, and Yamato stepped out.

"Do you have any idea where the others might be located?" Ark questioned.

"None. So let's start searching." Yamato went towards the door at the end of this hallway, opening it. This lead to a hall almost identical to the one where they had found the man with the keys.

They entered, and Daine tried the left door. Once more, it was locked.

"Guess we're going for the center one again," Daine stated as they went towards it.

-----

After she was done talking with Gaignun, she instantly contacted Ryei.

_Ryei__! Are you there?_

_Yes. Is something wrong?_

_On the contrary.__ Gaignun just contacted me, and he was outside of this building!_

_So he will be trying to assist us? Can he help us on his own?_

_He said he had some others with him. So be on the lookout-you might have to leave in a hurry._

_Right.__ I'll be ready. _

_Tell me if he makes it to you._ Then she broke the connection, turning back to Karen. "Just hang on! The others will come any minute! I'm sure Yamato can make it in time!"

Karen did not respond, just crying all the more.

Hope kept her arms around Karen, even though she knew Karen probably could not feel them. "You'll see… it will turn out ok… really, it will!"

Once more, Karen did not respond. But this time, she stopped shaking for a second. Hope gave her a surprised look.

"Hope? Where are you?!"

"Right here. I won't leave. Just hold on!"

"No… I don't want to be alone! Please, come back!"

"But I'm right here!"

"Don't leave me! Please… come back…" Karen started crying again, even harder if possible.

"I am still with you though…" Then Hope realized what this meant. "Oh no… have you lost your hearing too?!"

Karen was shaking violently now. "Father… help me! Don't leave me too! Please stay with me!"

_Her father… she's so terrified that she's calling out for the man who sold her into slavery…_ Hope thought sadly. Then she shook her head. _I can't help her anymore now. She's out of my reach…_

_Gaignun_

_I hear you._

_Karen has just lost her hearing. I won't be able to comfort her now… she's been panicking for a while, but now it's going out of control! Please, hurry! She's lost all her limbs and her senses-she might lose her heart next for all we know!_

_Of course.__ We have already freed Yamato. He seems to sense the urgency of this. We will come as quickly as we can._

_Thank you…_ She then forced her attention back to Karen, and held onto her hands once more. While she knew Karen would not be able to know what she was doing, she had to do something to make herself feel better.

-----

Daine stared at the door. "Gaignun, will there be any guards in there?"

Gaignun sniffed at the door, and then shook his head.

"Lucky break for us…" Daine muttered, opening the door.

As they walked in, with Ark closing the door cautiously, they heard a familiar voice.

"Who's there?!" Varen demanded.

Daine ran over to the cell he was in, trying the large key again. It unlocked this lock too. _Probably a master key or something,_ Daine realized._ Well, I'm not complaining._

"Don't worry. It's just us," Daine said, walking over to him.

"…Am I dreaming? Or hallucinating? If that's the case, please wake me up before my hopes get too high."

"Nope, welcome to reality," Daine laughed. "Hang on, let me get these ropes off…"

The second his hands were free, he pulled off the blindfold, looking at Daine in amazement. "I only have one thing to say. How the hell are you still alive?"

"I'd like to know that myself," Daine told him, rising. "You might want to ask a more accurate question though. How the hell are WE still alive?" He indicated to Ark, who was watching them.

"…Holy cow. Now that's what I call having the devil's own luck," Varen commented, untying the ropes securing his legs. "You find anyone else yet? I have no clue as of where they might be."

"Yeah, Yamato and Gaignun are with us," Daine stated.

"Oh. That explains why you're the only one talking," Varen joked. Then he stood up slowly, wincing. "Ow! So this is what it feels like to lose your circulation… oh well, I can deal with it. So where are we going now?"

"We don't know the layout here," Daine told him. "We're just following the hallways while trying to find the others. You feel up to moving?"

"We can't waste any time in a place like this," Varen pointed out.

"True." They walked to the other door, where Yamato was waiting impatiently. The minute he saw them approaching, he opened the door and went through.

Again, it was an identical pattern to the first two empty halls with three doors. Daine was really beginning to see a pattern starting to form.

Gaignun sniffed the door, and then pawed the floor twice.

"Two soldiers, eh?" Daine inferred.

"Two soldiers? What? How… oh screw it. Everything's being weird today," Varen sighed. "But we don't even have any weapons."

"Maybe we don't, but Yamato does," Daine told him. "Up for it?"

Yamato's response was to fling the door open, charging at the guards. The first one's throat was slit before he could react, and the second one fared no better.

"…Hidden blades? Note to self: never mess with Yamato," Varen muttered as they entered.

Zari had been leaning against the wall when she heard the door fly open. She had run up to the front of the cell to see what was happening, and was just in time see both guards collapse, and who had done it.

"Yamato?" she said in disbelief.

"What are we, chopped liver?" Varen asked as they went over to her.

Zari was about to respond, when she saw Daine and Ark. "What? How is this possible?"

"Welcome to the Twilight Zone," Varen joked.

"What is the Twilight Zone?" Daine asked as he unlocked Zari's cell door.

"An ancient TV show that told of the impossible. I found some books one time that had some scripts of it. Sounded pretty cool, but it's long gone now. I mean, the earliest and best episodes were black and white for crying out loud."

"Yikes," Daine said. "That is pretty old."

"But how did you two live? Not that I am not happy that you did-I'm relieved to see you both," Zari told them.

"We'll be able to answer that when you can logically explain to us what the point of human existence is."

"Come on! We don't have all day!" Yamato snapped, opening the door and stepping outside.

"Yeesh, what's his problem?" Varen muttered as they left the area. "I know we shouldn't waste any time here or anything, but he's acting like spending one minute catching up with a person we thought was dead is going to kill us all."

"It isn't just him," Zari noticed. "Gaignun seems worried too."

Now that she mentioned it, Daine noticed that it was true. The wolf was running down the hall with his tail lower than usual, and his ears folded back. His eyes also spoke of his nervous nature.

"Anyone in there?" Daine inquired.

Gaignun shook his head.

Zari looked at him in surprise. "You can understand us?"

Gaignun nodded, and pawed the door impatiently.

Daine opened it, and they went in without hesitation, looking into the cells as they passed. Zari was the one who found him though.

"Valor!" she exclaimed, looking into the cell.

The boy seemed to be asleep at the moment, but it was not a restful one. He was shaking slightly, with a frightened expression.

Daine got rid of the lock, and Zari went in at once, lifting him. She stiffened when she felt something. She couldn't tell what, but she got a bad feeling about it…

"Valor? Can you hear me?"

The feeling abruptly vanished as Valor opened his eyes slowly. "Zari?"

Zari shook off the strange event. "Yes. It's ok now. Once we find the others, we're leaving this place. Are you alright?"

"I am now…"

"Good. Let's move on then." Zari continued to carry him as she left the cell, and he did not complain about it.

"Glad to see you," Daine said to him.

Valor stared at him. "Daine?"

"Yep. Don't forget Ark-he's here also."

"How did you both live?" Valor inquired as they went to the hallway.

"No clue. But I'm glad we did. So, anything up ahead?" Daine asked Gaignun as they reached the door.

The wolf nodded, pawing the ground twice.

"Gaignun?" Valor asked. "Does he know what we are saying?"

"We're planning on having Hope answer that," Daine replied.

"Stand aside," Yamato commanded. Then he slammed the door open, and in less than ten seconds, both guards were dead.

"Well, that was quick," Varen said as they followed Yamato.

Zari raised an eyebrow at the hidden weapons, but did not comment.

Daine stopped in front of one of the cells. "Hi Zarek."

Zarek eyed him. "I have seen many astonishing things, but this ranks at the top of the list. Did Ark live as well?"

"Yes," Ark responded, coming into view.

"Nice to see both of you," Zarek said.

"Yeah, you too," Daine replied, unlocking the door and stepping over to the clasp that kept his arm locked to the wall, and found a keyhole. "Hm… I wonder…" He looked at the two keys he had not used on the key ring yet before inserting the smaller of the two. He quickly discovered that would not work, and tried the other one. This time, it clicked open, freeing the cyborg.

"That was getting pretty annoying," Zarek commented as he stood up. "Who are we missing now?"

"Hope, Karen, and Ryei," Varen informed him. "Hopefully we'll run across them pretty soon."

Yamato had not stayed to hear the conversation, instead choosing to go through the next door. They followed him once more, and stopped outside the next cell.

Gaignun did not even wait to be asked. He shook his head instantly.

"Did I miss something?" Zarek inquired.

"We'll tell you later," Varen said before they proceeded through.

Ryei instantly heard them enter, and quickly connected to Hope.

_They're here. With luck, I'll be seeing you and Karen soon as well._

_Alright.__ Please hurry!_

He rose as he waited for them to come. But what he hadn't expected was for Daine to be the first to step up to the cell.

"The world is full of surprises," Ryei commented as Daine unlocked the cell.

"You could say that," Daine replied, approaching him. "What kind of a ridiculous contraption is this?"

"One that is highly annoying," was Ryei's dry reply.

"Let me see…" Daine examined the ring, and found the small keyhole. "Let's see if this works." He inserted the smallest key. To his relief, it worked. Ryei walked outside, Daine following.

"Looks like both of you made it," Ryei stated, seeing Ark as well. "I'm glad. It's hard to lose companions."

"True that," Varen agreed. "So now we just need Hope and Karen… two more of these boring halls to go through."

"You were all held in areas such as this?" Ryei inquired.

"Yeah, except for Daine, Ark, and Gaignun, since they weren't here," Zari explained.

"Was anyone else restrained in a peculiar fashion?"

"Yeah, me," Varen winced. "I have no idea why they thought they needed to tie and blindfold me, but they did."

"My arm was locked onto the wall, but for obvious reasons," Zarek stated as his switchblade came out of his arm before folding back into it.

"Hm… interesting," Ryei muttered. "Well, let's get a move on. We can't afford to waste time here."

As they went through the next hallway, Gaignun contacted Hope.

_Hope, we are approaching your location next. I can already catch your scent._

-----

Hope did not know what to do. She just watched Karen anxiously. She had occasionally still called out for Yamato, and her mother, but not her father again. She stroked the girl's forehead worriedly.

_Hope, we are approaching your location next. I can already catch your scent._

She sighed in relief. _Thank everything for that. I can't tell how long Karen has before…_

_Do not worry. We are here, I suspect. _

Sure enough, she heard the door opening, and the others soon appeared. But what amazed Hope was two she had never thought she was about to see again.

"Daine! Ark!"

"Yeah… Karen's here too? What's wrong with her?"

"She needs help!" Hope said desperately. "Yamato, she said you have some kind of device she needs…"

"Daine, open the door already," Yamato growled.

But before Daine could do that, the other door suddenly opened. They turned to see three soldiers enter.

It was hard to tell who was more shocked. But the soldier in the front lunged first, and Zarek moved to intercept him, his switchblade clashing with the soldier's sword. The second one was met by Yamato, who killed him swiftly.

The third one dodged Yamato, assault, however, going for the nearest person: Zari. She stepped back, trying to protect Valor with her body as the soldier lunged, his sword aimed at her heart. Zarek had killed his opponent, but saw he was too far away to try and help.

But then someone leapt in front of Zari, giving a scream of pain as he fell to his knees, holding onto the sword that had impaled him.

Everyone stared at Ark in disbelief as he kneeled on the floor, sword still going through his body, coughing up blood. The soldier had a small, confident smirk on his face, until Ark suddenly stood again, pulling the sword out of his chest and impaling the soldier with it. The soldier's expression turned into surprise before he fell, dead instantly. Then Ark collapsed.

"Ark!" Daine exclaimed, kneeling next to him.

Ark managed to roll over onto his back, looking over at Zari. "Are… you… alright?"

"We're uninjured…" Zari said shakily. Valor was staring in horror at where the sword had entered Ark. Blood completely covered the area now.

Zarek took action first. "Daine, give Yamato the keys to their cell-Karen needs help as quickly as possible."

Daine nodded, tossing Yamato the keys. He instantly went over to the cell, Gaignun following. Then Daine looked back at his injured companion.

"Does anyone have anything we can use as a bandage?"

Varen went over to the guard Yamato had killed and took off the black coat he had been wearing. It seemed as if they had been leaving for the door to go outside-the guard Zarek had killed had on a dark blue coat, but it was stained with blood. Yamato had slit the other man's throat, so this one wasn't in a bad condition. "I think this is the best we are going to get."

"No… I don't… need help with it…" Ark managed to say.

"I don't care what you say this time," Daine told him. "You are going to lose far too much blood if this keeps up!"

"Daine… I know much about war wounds," Zarek stated. "Ark was stabbed in the heart. He shouldn't have even been able to live this long. No amount of medicine or bandages can change that."

"I don't care! I can't just sit here!" Daine shouted, detaching Ark's cape.

"I said… that… I don't need help!" Ark snarled.

"It was my mistake not to try and help you last time!" Daine said. "I won't stand by and do nothing when you could die any second!"

Ryei eyed Daine and Ark. "Let us see how Karen is doing," he suggested to the others. Ark was already feeling uncomfortable enough with just Daine trying to look after him; it would be better if they didn't all stare.

"Yeah…" Varen agreed, walking towards the cell.

Zari gave Ark one last glance before following Varen. The others went as well.

Hope had been remaining with Karen, waiting nervously to hear more on Ark. When Yamato had come over and unlocked the door, she immediately laid Karen gently on the ground and moved aside. Yamato went over to her, and sat down in a corner of the cell, and took her with him. When he was in as comfortable of a position as he could get, he lifted his left arm and pressed a few buttons on the device attached to it. A cable instantly came out of it, and attached itself to the back of Karen's neck.

Karen opened her eyes slowly. "…Yamato?"

"Yes. It's alright. The recharge has already started."

"Thank God…" Karen said, still shaking slightly.

Hope looked over at Gaignun as he entered, and knelt down to him, embracing him. "I'm so glad to see you…"

Gaignun waited until she let go of him, and then jumped up, his paws landing on her shoulders. She laughed. "Yeah, I can see you are too."

"So, how is Karen?" Ryei inquired as they stepped in.

"She will be fine, but disoriented. As in, she will not be able to think straight or do anything correctly," Yamato explained.

"What a relief," Hope sighed.

Daine, meanwhile, had pulled off Ark's shirt, and was wiping away the blood on his chest.

"Just… leave it…" Ark hissed.

"No. If there's any chance… any chance at all… I'm taking it!"

Daine finally lifted the blood-soaked coat, and looked at Ark's wound.

Or where it should be. The skin looked completely healed. There was no injury. There was not even a scar, or anything to say that he had been injured except for the small amounts of blood the coat had not picked up.

"…W-w-what is this?!" Daine exclaimed. "What the hell is going on?!"

"Stay there," Ryei ordered as the others prepared to run over to Daine. "We don't want them feeling crowded." He then ran over to them. "Daine, what is it?"

"Ark… your wound…" Daine managed to stammer out.

Ryei looked at where he had seen the sword enter, and shook his head. "He's healed. Completely healed. There isn't even a scar to show of it. Daine… where have we heard this before?"

Daine stiffened. "The books in the laboratory…"

By now, the others, besides Yamato and Karen, were watching from a distance in amazement at the scene that was unfolding.

"It looks like that all along, we've known what the 'specimen' we read about was," Ryei stated.

There were a few seconds of silence, before Ark finally spoke.

"So now you know… I am immortal. I cannot die… any wound I receive is instantly healed… even though it continues to hurt as though I was still injured… that is why I am unable to do anything at… this moment." He looked over at them. "Can you still… bring yourself to… trust one like me? Someone who is… so inhuman?"

Daine stared at him for a few more seconds before rising. "Zarek."

"Yes?"

"Can you carry Ark into the cell next to Yamato and Karen? He needs somewhere to recover, and the center of this hall certainly doesn't fit those qualifications."

"Alright." Zarek carefully lifted Ark, trying not to hurt him any more than he had been, and set him down in the cell.

Daine took Ark's cloak and covered him with it. "We have no reason not to trust you. You saved Zari and Valor… and mine as well." He stood up. "You need rest. We can talk about this later."

"…So be it," Ark whispered, closing his eyes.

He stepped out of the cell, looking over at the others. "What is more important is to decide what to do next. Not only does Ark need to recover, but Karen needs to finish recharging. This is a dangerous location to be though. Any second now, we could be ambushed by the soldiers. So… what are we going to do?"

To be continued…


	13. Escape

Now that was some seriously bad writer block! I hope it doesn't come up again… sorry for waiting about three months to update this, but I hope the updates will be a bit more constant now!

Darkstar71: Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it.

john: I'm sure nobody did!

Demon Fan: Good answer for the first one, but the second… well, we'll see.

Sukara-Nodori: Thank you. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

**Chapter 13: Escape**

Ikari was getting sick of going through forests. After his last disastrous encounter with the two tigers, he considered this trip to be going a lot better, but he was still uneasy.

"I wonder if this was really a good idea…" he muttered as he went on.

Suddenly, he tripped over something. Barely managing to stop himself from falling, he looked at what he had come across.

He yelped and leapt back as he saw the five corpses of the soldiers. "Ugh… what the… ok, on second thoughts, I'd prefer the slope." Then he began to run back the way he had come, not looking back at the grisly sight.

-----

The others pondered over their position. What would be the best thing to do? They couldn't leave while Karen was recharging, but staying would certainly mean being discovered. It was a lose-lose situation.

Ryei finally broke the silence. "Let us remain here for a while. Before we can continue, we need to explain a few things to each other."

"What do you mean?" Hope asked.

"What do you mean, what do you mean?!" Varen exclaimed. "Hello! We don't even understand what's going on! These creeps that are chasing us for some reason keep talking about a marked one, Zari and Valor are still being pursued by other wackos for another reason we don't know, Daine is still alive somehow, Gaignun suddenly has human intelligence, Karen nearly dies on us, and Ark is immortal! I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like some answers!"

"I think we all would," Daine stated. "We do need to rest for a while anyway. So let's get to some explanations."

"Well, there's nothing better to do at the moment," Zari stated.

Zarek glanced at Ark. "I guess we can fill him in later."

To their surprise, he responded. "…No… I will listen now…"

"Are you sure?" Zari asked. "You should probably rest."

"…This is more important…" he managed to say.

Zari thought for a moment, and then took off her trench coat, putting it beside Ark. "You can wear this until your shirt is mended."

Since she lacked her trench coat, Zarek noticed the long cut on the back of her shirt. "Don't you need it?"

"It isn't like it makes much of a difference when we're alone," Zari shrugged.

Hope was looking over Ark's stained shirt. "I can repair this somewhat, but I need a water source to get rid of the blood first. I can also fix yours, Zari, once we get our supplies back."

"Yeah… it looks like our stuff was confiscated," Varen realized.

"Thank you for telling us all what we already knew," Ryei said sarcastically.

"Hey, we're in a life or death situation! I can't help it if I don't notice everything!"

While they were talking, Ark forced himself to sit up long enough to slip on the trench coat before collapsing again. Zarek, noticing the movement, turned to him. Seeing that Ark seemed ready, Zarek gently lifted him. The group went into the cell where Yamato and Karen were. Zarek carefully put Ark back down, leaning him against the wall.

"Will you be alright like that?" Zarek asked.

"It's fine…" Ark was still in serious pain, and his position did not help matters. But he wanted to be able to speak while he had the chance, which meant he needed eye contact.

Although Karen was still trying to calm down from her panic, and felt disoriented, she was able to follow what the others were saying well enough. Because of that, she tried her hardest to listen.

"So, who first?" Daine asked. "Any volunteers?"

Gaignun gave a harsh barking noise. Hope looked over at him, a bit surprised. "Gaignun wants us to go first."

"Go ahead," Daine encouraged.

"Alright…"

_You cannot tell them everything,_ Gaignun reminded Hope. _Just enough to get by._

_Yeah, I know._

"Gaignun is a special wolf," Hope explained. "I found him when he was just a puppy. He was abandoned in the snow, and in fear that he would die, I took care of him. As he grew, he acted in a strange manner. I soon discovered that he is just as smart, if not more so, than humans. He understands what we say, and can respond in his own ways. We have been together for a long time, and as time passed, we learned to develop a method of understanding each other. He is the most loyal companion I could ever want."

"Having a wolf as a friend must be pretty handy," Varen commented.

"You could say that," Hope replied, petting Gaignun's head.

"We were lucky he came to us, or we would have probably never found you guys," Daine said. "What happened, anyway?"

"It was an ambush," Zari stated. "We ran into a cloaked man and a bunch of soldiers. We were about to fight them, but a gray fog came onto us. That's the last thing that I can remember."

"It must have knocked us out," Ryei threw in. "But the cloaked man and soldiers were not behind it. So that must mean that they have another ally."

"Then we need to be even more careful," Daine stated. "But what about Gaignun? Was he with you?"

"No. He had left to hunt," Hope responded. "So he probably saw us and avoided them to go for help. I guess he came across the two of you."

"Yeah, what happened to you two?" Varen inquired. "You guys fell off of a freaking cliff! I see now why Ark lived, but what about you Daine?"

"I didn't know at first," Daine said. "I had thought that maybe the trees broke our fall, since there were a lot of them. It seemed unlikely, especially since I was not injured very badly, but it was the only explanation I could think of. But now, I know that wasn't the case." He glanced over at Ark. "When we were falling, Ark grabbed me out of the air. At the time, I was about to panic, and didn't have time to wonder why he did that. When I came around, I had forgotten about it. However, now that I know that Ark is immortal, what happened is perfectly logical."

"I think I understand," Ryei nodded. "Ark used his body to shield you from the force of the fall. Is that right?"

"Yes," Ark whispered. He was still finding it difficult to talk after the heart wound he had suffered.

"It also explained why Ark could barely move while I was fine. He said his bones felt like they were shattered. But what I didn't know then was that Ark can heal from death wounds, although the pain remains. So all of the bones his body, most likely, did shatter. Even though they mended, Ark was still feeling it. Is that right Ark?"

"…All except for one thing," Ark responded softly. "It is not just death wounds. I recover from any injury whatsoever."

"Any injury? That scientist that wrote those books wasn't lying?" Hope said, her voice betraying her amazement.

"Heart wound, head wound, spine wound, brain wound, lung wound, stomach wound, kidney wound, liver wound, intestines, beheading, fire, electrocution, drowning, exposure to heat, exposure to cold, poison, suffocation, blood loss, starvation, dehydration, viruses, seizures, and old age," Ryei listed. "Can you survive through all of those?"

Everyone stared at Ryei in astonishment.

"Sheesh!" Varen exclaimed. "What are you, a master at murdering?"

Ark ignored the interruption. "Yes."

Now everyone stared at Ark.

"You've been through all of that?!" Varen said in disbelief.

Zari glared at him. "How can you bring yourself to ask such a thing?"

"Oh… yeah… sorry…" Varen muttered.

"It has all… been tested," Ark stated. "As for old age… I have not grown any older… since this change first occurred… so it can be safely assumed… that I can live through that as well."

Then he closed his eyes, which basically told them he was done talking about himself. They did not want to press him for information, so Ryei changed the subject. "Zari, Valor, what about you two? You have never told us why you were being chased."

Zari nodded. "I suppose it's fair enough that we give you this information. Is that alright with you Valor?"

"It's fine," he said softly.

"Then I'll give you a brief explanation," Zari decided. "I was traveling through Side Capital when I happened to be invited to the mayor's house to meet him. They had not had any visitors for a while, and he wanted to hear the news I had to bring. So I told him the basic things I knew, which were not very important anyway. He accepted that, and said I could leave, or stay for the night, since it was very late. I accepted, since I had nowhere else to be at the moment. But late at night, from my room, I heard something. Unsure of what it was, I left the room I was occupying, and went over to the room I had heard the noise from. I entered, and inside was Valor. The mayor had never mentioned anyone else living with him, so I was surprised to find him. But I was also shocked to see that he was kept in an iron cage."

"What the hell?! The mayor did that?" Varen said in disgust.

"Yes. The key to it was in the same room though, so I was able to unlock it fairly easily."

"Hold on. What was the noise that you had heard?" Varen asked.

Valor answered quietly. "I was crying. I often do that. It's not easy, to be alone…"

Zari continued, breaking the uncomfortable silence that followed that. "He had no desire to stay, so we fled from the house. When we made it to the forest, we discovered we were being followed. So I told Valor to hide, tossing him my trench coat and Duel Disk. You guys know the rest."

"Hold on. There are a few things that I do not understand," Zarek said. "If the mayor wanted to keep Valor a secret, why did he let you stay in his house?"

"He thought I was a cold, heartless mercenary," Zari stated. "And in a way, he was right. I keep that act up so that I can be in control of most situations I run into."

"Did your past cause you to act like that?" Hope inquired.

"If it did, I would not know," Zari replied. "I do not remember my past at all. All I know is that I have been working as a mercenary for some time now."

"There's something else," Zarek told her. "Why did the mayor want Valor?"

"I do not know," Zari responded. "I cannot begin to guess, and I have not pressed Valor for an answer."

"I can tell you what I know," Valor said.

Everyone's gaze went to him now.

He seemed a bit shyer, but continued in his quiet voice. "For most of my life, I have lived in a laboratory. My father is a scientist. I do not know about my mother; she died giving birth to me. My father had needed a specimen for his experiments. He could not use just anyone though. The experiments were considered inhumane, so he could not let anyone know of what he was trying to do. But I was his son, and he had control over what he wanted to happen to me. So I was the perfect specimen for him to use."

"He would experiment on his own son?" Varen said, mortified.

"Yes… it was a painful life," Valor continued softly. "I was alone, except for my father, who tortured me for science. Even worse was when I blacked out during an experiment. I never could remember what had happened then, so I have no idea how they changed me. But one day, my father gave me to the mayor. I do not know why, and I do not know how many days I spent there. Eventually, Zari came, and that's all I know."

Zari looked at him sadly, placing her arm around him in a comforting gesture.

"Don't we all have a bunch of cheerful pasts?" Daine said in disgust.

"How about you tell the rest of them yours?" Yamato growled.

"I suppose I should," Daine sighed. "Ok, you guys all want to know what our enemies mean by the marked one, right?"

"Of course," Varen replied.

"Then let me show you." Daine took off his right glove, and showed them the palm of his hand, and the red pentagram on it.

Varen yelped, jumping backwards. Ryei stayed where he was, staring at the mark. Valor was astonished, but did not say anything to show this. Zarek did not show his shock either, but was unable to look away from it either. Ark eyed it cautiously.

_So that is what I felt when I grasped his hand,_ Ark realized.

When Zari saw the pentagram, and she felt the dark magic, she was paralyzed. Something… she could hear something… a voice… a whispering voice… it was too soft… she could not make out the words… but someone was speaking to her… she had to hear… she had to obey…

Daine noticed that while the others just seemed shocked, Zari was acting strangely. Her eyes seemed glazed over, and she seemed to be unable to focus.

When he saw this, Daine quickly slipped the glove back on. "Zari? Are you ok?"

As the pentagram was hid from view, Zari came to, shaking her head.

_What was that?_

"I'm fine," she assured. "I must be tired."

"So what is it?" Varen asked, still a bit stunned by it.

"I wish I knew," Daine sighed. "I've had this mark since my birth. I have no idea what is it for, but I do know it makes many fear and despise me. I had no friends. The only person I could trust was my mother. My father… mom said he died shortly after I was born. She never went into any details as to how he died though."

"You seemed to not know about several things we see as common knowledge," Ryei stated. "Why was that?"

"About twenty years ago, on April 29th, I was put to sleep by a scientist. When I woke up, I found my town to be abandoned. I went into the forest and found Hope. We soon encountered Yamato and Karen, and they explained to me what had occurred twenty years ago. That's all I really have to say. I have no idea why these men are after me, but they're dangerous. I'm sorry to have gotten you all into this."

"It's alright. It isn't as though we never face danger anyway," Varen shrugged. "You can count on us to help you out… well, at least I think you can count on the others. I know I'll be there to assist you."

"As we said before… we will stay with you for the time being…" Ark stated.

"Thanks guys," Daine smiled. "It's good to know that some people are on my side."

"So now that those facts are straightened, we need to figure out what we are going to do," Zarek said.

"I cannot move while charging Karen," Yamato told them. "Obviously, she cannot either. So we're stuck here."

"How long does this recharge take?" Hope asked.

"Twenty-four hours."

"Well damn," Varen sighed. "This will be nearly impossible to pull off… they will have surely noticed we've escaped before the recharge is done."

"Then our only choice is to kill everything that comes our way," Yamato stated.

Varen eyed him warily. "And I thought Ryei was into murder."

"But we lack our weapons," Zari pointed out. "Yamato can't move, so we only have Zarek and Gaignun to fight off any enemies here. They would kill several, but probably would not be able to hold up long enough. We need a different idea."

"Maybe we could make a temporary blockade?" Daine suggested.

"That would work," Hope agreed.

"But wait. We still need to retrieve our weapons, decks, Duel Disks, and other items," Ryei said. "Therefore, I suggest that a few of us go to try to find them. When we come across the supplies, we can come back and put up the blockade then."

"Alright, we can do that," Zari replied. "But who should go and who should stay?"

"I'll go," Daine volunteered. "I've been through more of the base than anyone else, and I still have my deck. You never know when we might need to have one for a duel."

Yamato tossed him the keys. "Then you had best take those."

"Thanks."

"I would like to go as well," Ryei seconded. "I think having one more should be enough. Since we're traveling through areas that could still be populated by soldiers, it would probably be wise to bring someone who is armed. How about it, Zarek?"

"Sure. That means you should remain here, Gaignun," Zarek told the wolf. "You'll be their only source of protection at the moment."

Gaignun nodded.

"Wait, I want to come as well," Varen said.

"You?" Daine asked, a bit surprised. "Why?"

"I'll tell you later. Please, just let me come too."

"If you want to," Daine shrugged. "That means Hope, Yamato, Karen, Zari, Valor, Ark, and Gaignun are staying, right?"

"Right," Zari confirmed. "Be careful you four."

"Don't worry about us. We'll be back so quickly you'll never know we were gone," Varen assured as they left.

Hope broke the silence that had fallen upon the group. "We should get some sleep now. We don't know when our next chance to will be. Gaignun will warn us if anyone approaches, so it should be alright."

Yamato closed his eyes, leaning against the wall, but Karen stayed in her upright position, even when she shut her eyes too. Assuming it was because she was still recharging, Hope lay down next to Gaignun. Ark lowered himself slowly, and was almost instantly unconscious. Valor fell asleep quickly as well, as did Zari. But Hope remained awake. Although she knew she should rest, she wanted to remain awake in case Ryei tried to contact her.

-----

"What are the results?" the woman asked as the man stepped back into the room.

"He's still not back," the man snarled. "I'm beginning to have many suspicions about this. What is he playing at, going out and not responding?"

"I'm not sure, but this one isn't replying either," the woman sighed.

"Well, he's not usually in, so that is understandable. But the other…" He suddenly broke off. "Did the man I send to check on the prisoners come back yet?"

"Now that you mention it, no. What could be keeping him?"

The man was already walking to the door. "I'm going to check. If I'm not back in an hour, send soldiers to look."

"Of course." The woman then began typing on the keyboard in front of her as the man left.

-----

The four of them walked through another one of the rooms with three doors. Daine stopped short of the door, and listened.

"I can't be sure if anyone is there or not," he told the others. "Be on guard." Then he flung open the door.

A hall of cells that was empty of life greeted them. They went through it, stopping at a cell nearby the middle.

Varen raised an eyebrow at the sight of Hope's pack, Karen's, everyone's weapons, and the Duel Disks inside the cell. "That's an interesting place to keep them."

"A secure one as well," Daine stated, taking out the keys. "But it shouldn't be a problem…"

Then the door opposite of them opened, and the black cloaked man stepped inside. They froze at the sight of each other.

Ryei instantly contacted Hope. _Hope, we have just encountered the man that captured us. _

_Will you be alright?_

_I believe so. But listen, I have something I want you to do…_

"So… you are still alive," the cloaked man said, removing his hood to reveal that he looked to be about forty, with grey hair and hard brown eyes. "That would explain how you all escaped."

"Yes, it would," Zarek said, getting in front of the others and bringing out his switchblade. "This time, we aren't about to be caught off guard."

"You can put that away," was the man's response. "I prefer not to fight, even though I could easily defeat all of you. Remember, I have powers that far surpass yours."

"Like the ability to read our minds?"

They looked at Ryei in surprise.

"What do you mean?" the man asked, a bit nervously.

"You read our minds to find out what we could do, and restrained us accordingly. Is that correct?" Ryei inquired.

"You think I can read minds? That isn't even close to the truth!"

_I think it is,_ Ryei thought to him.

"What was that?!" the man exclaimed.

_You just gave yourself away, _Ryei told him.

_He's pretty bad at lying, or so it seems, _Hope commented to both of them.

_Yes, he is. Too bad, isn't it? You would think he would be good at this kind of thing after reading so many people's minds._

_I guess appearances can be deceiving, huh?_

_Indeed._

"CUT IT OUT!" the man snarled, grasping his head. "Get out of my head!"

"That's what you get for reading our minds," Ryei smirked.

"Quiet!" The man brought out his Duel Disk. "Alright, so I can read minds. That means I can also know right when you will attempt to attack me. If you try, I will instantly order my second-in-command to send soldiers to deal with your other companions."

"So you want to duel? I'm game," Daine told him.

"Hang on a second! If you can read minds, that means you'll know everything that Daine is doing!" Varen protested.

"He won't dare to try it," Ryei assured. "I'll make sure of that."

_Actually, we will make sure of that he doesn't attempt to cheat, right?_ he said for Hope's benefit.

_Yep. I'm just waiting for him to try._

"Alright, I won't!" the man growled.

Daine gave him an odd look, but turned on his Duel Disk anyway. "You probably already know our names, but what is yours?"

"Regis. If you are ready?"

"Whenever you are!" Daine said. "As for Deck Masters, I choose Retrained Elven Swordsman. What about you?"

"Mine will be Metamol Pot," Regis announced. A blue jar appeared beside him, floating in midair. The jar was filled with darkness, except for a large, orange eye and a devilish grin with sickening green teeth.

"And the loser will die?" Daine assumed.

"Yes." Regis went to his Shield command and turned it off. Daine followed suit.

Daine: 8000

Regis: 8000

"Shall we use the normal method of deciding who will go first by flipping a coin?" Regis suggested.

"Sure, call it," Daine agreed, taking out his and tossing it.

"Alright, heads."

"Wrong. It's tails. I'll start by summoning my Goblin Strike Team. (2300/0) That's all I have to do."

"I will begin by activating my Metamol Pot's effect," Regis stated.

"Already?" Daine said in disbelief.

"Yes. By paying 1000 Life Points, I am allowed to draw a card. So I pay 7000 Life Points to draw seven cards."

Varen stared at him. "You must be mad!"

"Say what?!" Daine exclaimed. "7000?! But that means you're nearly out of Life Points!"

"Why are you showing concern for me? I am your opponent, after all," Regis smirked. He was weary from losing so many Life Points, but did not show it.

Daine: 8000

Regis: 1000

"It isn't concern; it's caution," Daine said.

"You are right to be cautious, but it will do you no good," Regis replied. "I lay three cards face down, and end my turn. Since I have over six cards in my hand, I will have to discard four. I choose to dispose of Thunder Sage, Tutor of the Abyss, Declaration of God, and Sealing Wall of Light."

_What is he playing at?_ Daine wondered as he drew. "I summon Chaos Rider Gustav. (1400/1500) And I'll have Goblin Strike Team attack!"

"I activate Emissary of Harmony, causing your monster's attack to do no harm to me."

"Drat… I should have attacked with Gustav first. Since my Goblins attacked, they're forced to go into defense mode. I can't switch them back to attack mode until the turn after my next one…"

"Also, I activate Result of Kozakkii's Research. This trap allows me to look at the top three cards in my deck and rearrange them as I wish to."

"Ok then… I end my turn."

"And that means it is game over for you," Regis declared. "For now, I play The Reverse Quiz!"

"What is that?" Daine asked.

"It is a magic card that destroys all cards on my side of the field, and forces me to discard all the cards in my hand. So my face down Air Shruiken is destroyed, and I am forced to discard Jar of Greed, Cyclone, Hand Obliteration, Seal of Time, Destruction Ring, and another Emissary of Harmony. Then I call monster, magic, or trap, and look at the top card of my deck. Of course, I already know what it is. So I call magic, because my next card is Hellfire." He drew the card, revealing it to Daine. "Since I guessed correctly, that means our Life Points switch."

"What?! No!" Daine protested.

Daine: 1000

Regis: 8000

"But that isn't all," Regis smirked. "Because now my Air Shruiken's effect activates. Since it was destroyed while on the field, it does 700 damage to your Life Points."

The shruiken suddenly came flying out of nowhere, piercing into Daine.

Daine: 300

Regis: 8000

As the shruiken vanished, leaving behind a shallow wound that bled freely, Daine looked at his Life Point counter. "Not good…"

"Damn it!" Varen swore. "Next turn, Daine's dead! Hellfire does 500 damage to yourself, but it also does 1000 damage to your opponent!"

"Exactly," Regis said. "So take your final turn."

Daine felt dizzy from the amount of Life Points he had lost. He shook his head fiercely, to try and clear his mind, and then drew. He looked at his card, and sighed in relief. "Saved… I lay one card down, and sacrifice Goblin Strike Team to summon Magical Giga Cyber! (2200/1200) Then I attack directly with both of my monsters!"

Daine: 300

Regis: 4400

"A futile effort," Regis told him. "You can't hope to win."

"We'll see, won't we? I end my turn," Daine told him.

"I draw, and activate Hellfire!"

"And I activate Magic Drain," Daine responded. "This counter trap leaves you with two options. You can discard a magic card to have your original magic card work, or your magic card is negated and destroyed."

"But I have no magic cards in my hand! Curse you!" Regis growled. "But I have other options. I will use my Metamol Pot's Deck Master ability to draw another card."

Daine: 300

Regis: 3400

"Then I lay one card down and end my turn."

"I'll summon Executioner Makyura! (1600/1200)"

"In response to your summoning, I activate Tidal Wave," Regis said. "Now all of the monsters on the field are destroyed."

"Dang it…" Daine looked over his hand. "I lay one card down, and end my turn."

"It ends now," Regis stated. "I summon Fiber Pod! (500/500)"

"…You have got to be kidding," Daine said as the weak monster appeared.

"I'm afraid I am not. Fiber Pod attacks!"

"I activate my Reactive Armor! This trap destroys your attacking monster."

"Gr… I use my Metamol's effect once more."

Daine: 300

Regis: 2400

"Then I once more lay one card face down and end my turn."

"Alright…" Daine drew.

"Now I activate my trap, Sealing Wall of Light. By paying 2000 Life Points, no monster of yours that is 2000 or below in attack power can attack."

Daine: 300

Regis: 400

Daine looked at his hand. "Normally, you would have had me there. With my Goblin Strike Team gone, I don't have any other level four monsters that have more than 2000 attack." Then he grinned. "But that's only when it comes to level fours. I lay down three cards, and then summon Dark Knight Gaia of the Gale! (2300/2100)"

"Impossible!" Regis protested as the knight appeared on his purple steed. "That can't be a level four or lower monster! Its values are too high!"

"It's a level seven, to be precise," Daine informed him. "But he also has an effect. If he is the only card in my hand, I can summon him without sacrifices. Now, he attacks!"

The horse ran right through the Wall of Light. With one swift thrust, Gaia's joust put an end to Regis' life.

Daine: 300

Regis: 0

"Ugh," Varen winced as he saw the bloody corpse. "What a way to go."

"A short but triumphant duel," Zarek stated. "Good work."

"Thanks…" Daine suddenly fell to his knees.

"Are you alright?" Ryei asked, kneeling next to him.

"Yeah… I'm just exhausted…"

"You have full right to be. Losing that many Life Points definitely won't have positive effects, and the wound from the Air Shruiken won't help matters." He thought for a minute before continuing. "Let's get the items and go back to the others. We'll look over you then."

"Alright…" Daine brought out the keys to the cell and handed them to Ryei. "I don't think I'll be able to support myself for a while…"

Zarek unlocked the door, and handed Daine his sword first. "I hope your sheath is undamaged."

"You brought it?! Great! I thought it was lost." He looked over it, and satisfied that it was unharmed, managed to get up long enough to sheath it before sitting down again.

"We were going to keep it as a memento," Varen explained as he found his Duel Disk and attached it, and took his katars.

Zarek opened a small wooden box, and then closed it and handed it to Ryei with a Duel Disk. "I believe these are yours."

Ryei looked inside it. "Yes, they are." Then he took out the kunai and hid them once more inside his sleeves, and put his Duel Disk back on. Zarek had retrieved his as well.

"We're never going to be able to carry the rest of this," Varen groaned as he saw all of the other weapons and Duel Disks.

"I'll take Daine back and tell them to come and get their appropriate items," Ryei volunteered.

"Sure. We'll wait here," Zarek said.

Ryei helped Daine up, putting his arm around his shoulder. "Then let's get going. Can you at least walk?"

"Yeah, thanks…"

They left the hallway, leaving Varen and Zarek. Varen seemed preoccupied though, and looked towards the other door.

"Listen… I need to check something. I'll come right back, ok?"

"What are you going to do?" Zarek inquired.

"I'll explain later. I have to hurry, before any soldiers come."

"Alright. Be careful," Zarek warned.

"Sure thing," Varen nodded before running out of the other door.

-----

Gaignun looked up, letting out a soft growl. Yamato woke up instantly, as did Zari and Valor. Hope and Karen were already awake, so Hope sat up as the two group members entered.

"Are you two alright?" Hope asked worriedly as she stood.

"Yeah. Daine got injured in a duel, but he won. We found the weapons; they are two rooms over, in another of those areas with cells. Varen and Zarek are waiting there. Hope, Zari, you should come to retrieve your things; we can't carry all of it. I'll get your items Yamato and Karen, so don't worry."

"Thanks," Karen said in a weary tone. She was still somewhat out of it, but she tried to focus on the words being said.

Ryei helped Daine sit down again, in the corner at the back of the cell, opposite of Yamato and Karen. Then he looked over at Ark, the only one who had not come around. "How is he?"

"He's been sleeping this whole time," Hope replied as they left, Zari and Valor following. Gaignun remained there to watch over

-----

Varen finished circling the outside of the base, and nodded. "Alright, I think I have it down." Then he went back to the entrance.

But as he went to the door, it opened, revealing two soldiers.

The soldiers stopped, shocked. But Varen reacted instantly, diving his katars into each soldier. They collapsed, and he leapt over them, running towards where Zarek was waiting.

"At least they didn't cry out…" Varen muttered. He was still concerned about being discovered though, so he did not slacken his pace.

-----

"We're here," Ryei announced as they went over to Zarek. "Where did Varen go?"

"He said he had to do something, and that he would be back shortly."

"He didn't say why?" Hope asked as she picked up her bow and quiver of arrows, and her Duel Disk.

"No."

"We can't stay here too long," Zari stated as she strapped on her two katanas and took her Duel Disk. Valor retrieved his dagger, and Hope took her pack.

"Then he had better get back here quickly," Ryei said as he tried to pick up Yamato's sword. "How does he use this thing? I can barely lift it…"

"Take the rest of their things," Zarek told him as he took the large sword. "I'll carry this."

As Ryei finished collecting Karen's pack and the two remaining Duel Disks, Varen burst in, shutting the door swiftly behind him.

"The soldiers… they'll be coming shortly!" Varen exclaimed. "One saw me, but fled before I could kill him."

"You apparently got a few though," Hope commented as she saw the blood dripping off of his katars.

"Yeah, two others ran into me. But let's hurry and get back to the others!"

-----

Gaignun looked up, sniffing the air. Daine and Yamato followed his gaze, and the other group members came running in.

"What happened?" Daine asked.

"It's the soldiers. They know we're here," Hope explained.

"We have to blockade them somehow," Ryei said, putting the pack and Duel Disks next to Yamato and Karen. Zarek set the sword there as well.

"But how?" Varen asked. "We have no way to stop them from entering! They'll overrun us eventually!"

Suddenly, Gaignun snarled, looking towards the door they had just entered from. It was closed, but Gaignun continued to growl at it.

"They must be coming," Hope groaned. "We're out of options."

"I'm not going down without a fight!" Varen declared.

"…Wait. I have an idea," Zarek said. Before they could respond, he ran over to the door that Gaignun was looking at.

His hand began to glow blue as he put it to the doorway. Then, a sudden flash of light blinded everyone. After a few moments, it cleared, and they could see what Zarek had done.

The metal door was fused with the wall. It was firmly stuck in place. Just looking at it, they could tell it would be impossible to open.

"Great idea!" Ryei approved.

"But what about when we need to leave?" Zari inquired.

"I can always knock it down if necessary," Zarek shrugged before repeating the process with the other door.

"Um… I guess so," Varen blinked.

Zarek sat down in a different cell. "But after that, I'll need some time to recharge. It uses up a lot of my energy to generate so much electricity."

"Be my guest then," Zari said. "We aren't about to be going anywhere."

After Zarek was unconscious, Hope went over to Daine, and got out some items from her pack. "I can help you with you wound, if you want."

"Oh, thanks…" He got up shakily, and followed her into another cell.

Zari looked through Hope's pack and pulled something out. "Valor, come with me please."

"Alright." He went with her to yet another one.

"So, I guess we're going to be waiting here for a long time," Varen sighed.

"Correct. I'm going to get some sleep," Ryei told him. "I advise you do as well."

"Alright, but I need to clean off my katars…" Varen looked at their condition. "But I doubt we have any spare cloth."

Zari came back in and handed him what had once been Valor's shirt. "You can use that. Sorry I don't have better to offer."

"It beats nothing," Varen said, wiping away the blood. "But why doesn't he need it anymore?"

Valor stepped back inside, looking slightly embarrassed as Varen lifted an eyebrow.

"New clothes, huh? You look better in black," Varen commented.

"Good call," Ryei nodded. "That'll help when we're trying to conceal ourselves. Well, good night guys." Then he went to a different cell to sleep in.

"At least there are several areas to choose from," Varen said, going to another one as well.

"See you shortly," Zari said to Yamato and Karen before she and Valor left as well.

When they were gone, Karen fell asleep immediately. Yamato soon did too, leaving only three awake. Gaignun went to the center of the hall, listening to Daine and Hope's whispers.

"Is that better?"

"Yeah, the flow of blood has pretty much stopped. Thanks."

"Your welcome. You should get some sleep too. You look exhausted."

"I'm just weary from the duel. I'll be fine soon."

"Well, resting will still help. I'm going to sleep as well. See you in a while." She came out, and looked over at Gaignun. "Would you please alert us if the soldiers try anything?"

Gaignun nodded.

"Thanks." Then she went into another cell.

Gaignun lay down, eyes closed. Yet he was fully alert for any sign of the soldiers.

-----

"He still isn't back…" the woman muttered.

Then a knock sounded at her door. With a sigh, she yelled, "Come in!"

The soldier came running inside. "The prisoners escaped!"

"What?" She got up. "Tell all the other soldiers to begin a search. Take them alive at all costs."

"Yes ma'am!" Then he ran off.

She looked over to see the screen at her computer flashing.

"Now he decides to show up…" she grumbled, going over to it.

-----

Gaignun listened as several soldiers approached, but did not do anything yet.

"What the… the door is stuck!" one exclaimed.

"That cyborg… didn't he have powers that came from electricity? That means he would be able to do something like that," another said.

"So they locked themselves in there? They'll die eventually!"

"True. As long as we remain outside of the door, they can't escape. Have the others circle to the door on the other side. We'll wait twenty-four hours for their surrender. If they refuse to, we'll let the boss take over."

"Right. You, tell the others to go to the other door…"

Gaignun ignored the rest of it, having heard what he needed to. Satisfied with their plans, he let himself drift into sleep.

-----

Karen woke up instantly as the cable in the back of her neck detached. She looked over to Yamato, who was waking up, and slowly stood up.

"Yamato? The charge is complete."

He opened his eyes, glancing at her. "How do you feel?"

She moved her arms, and was relieved to see that they worked. "Fine now, thanks." She shivered. "But it was just terrifying… I can't begin to describe…"

"It's over now," Yamato said, getting up. "I guess we'll have to wake up the rest of them."

But their movements had already alerted Gaignun. He got up, and went over to Hope, licking her.

"Gaignun!" she exclaimed, wiping away the saliva. "What have I told you about doing that?"

He simply went back to the center of the hall, not listening to her.

"He'll never stop waking me up that way…" Hope sighed, rising.

"What is the situation?" Zari asked, coming over to the hall as well, Valor following. Daine, Varen and Ryei had also woken up due to Hope's cry and came out too.

"The charging is done," Karen told them. "We can leave when everyone else is ready."

"The sooner the better. I'm starving!" Varen complained.

"How do you feel Daine?" Ryei inquired.

"A lot better now, thanks." His wound from the shruiken had been covered by a bandage, but other than that, he did appear fine. "I guess it depends on if Ark is ready or not."

Zarek came over to them. "If he isn't, I can assist. We need to go as quickly as we can."

"We might have to resort to that." Daine went over to Ark, and gently shook his shoulder. "Ark? Wake up. We need to leave."

Ark looked over at them. "I'm afraid I am in no condition to move. I will only slow you down…"

"I'll carry you, if that's alright," Zarek said.

"Very well," Ark replied.

"It might pain you, but I'll try not to," Zarek told him, lifting him.

Ark winced, but did not complain. "Don't worry about it. Speed is essential."

Gaignun was relaying what the soldiers had said to Hope. She went over to the doors, and then went back to the center. "Guys, we're trapped. There are too many soldiers; we'll never be able to get by them. In these narrow halls, we won't be able to fight them all off."

"We have to try though," Daine said. "It will only get worse later."

"But Zarek won't be able to fight, and you're injured," Zari pointed out. "Ark won't be able to assist, nor will Valor. Karen's weapon would kill them, but it would hit us as well. Hope's arrows won't do much in close quarters. That means the only fighters we'll have is Yamato, Varen, and me. We simply can't hold off so many soldiers. And if they somehow put us to sleep again, then we don't stand a chance."

Varen had been silent up to this point, but then he spoke. "I have a way that we can leave."

Everyone stared at him in surprise.

"How?" Zarek asked.

"Well… um… it'd be easier if I show you," Varen said awkwardly, not looking at them. "But please, trust me. I promise I can help. Just let me try it… are you all with me?"

"We have nothing to lose," Daine said. "Alright, I'm willing to try it. Does anyone disagree?"

Everyone else remained silent.

"Then… let me try this… ok, I have two things to warn you guys about. One is don't panic. Remain calm while I'm doing this. The second is that I don't know how well this will work. I've never tried it with this many people. But it's our only chance… so… are you all ready?"

"I believe so," Zari replied.

"Ok… then here we go."

They didn't even know what had happened. All they saw before vanishing was some sort of purple smoke, and the last noise they heard was something that seemed to sound like 'bamf'.

To be continued…


	14. Ambush

This chapter… I don't know, it was easy to write and then got hard at the duel part. The next chapters will be much more entertaining, due to character development and some other things that occur.

Sukara-Nodori: Yep, things are beginning to happen, much to my relief. Getting through some of those earlier chapters made me want to tear my hair out.

John: Don't ask me, Varen isn't my character.

Demon Fan: Sorry to completely destroy your guess, but Varen duels this chapter.

Captain Obvious: Tutor of the Abyss is a magic card that costs 1000 Life Points to activate. You choose a Main-Type and Sub-Type, and your opponent is forced to send a monster to the Cemetery from their hand or deck with what you called. Useful if you know your opponent's deck, otherwise it's decent. Declaration of God is a counter trap card that negates a card effect your opponent plays, and destroys the card. It does cost half of your Life Points though, which is a pretty big ouch sometimes.

**Chapter 14: Ambush**

It was as though no time had passed. A second ago, they had been in the prison. Now they stood outside in the dark night, with the only light being provided from the moon and stars.

Daine looked around, astonished. He felt somewhat ill, but otherwise he was amazed by what had occurred.

Everyone else seemed equally shocked. Hope looked very pale, and everyone but Varen seemed a bit sickened as well. But their astonishment made up for that.

Varen, on the other hand, felt completely exhausted. He hid it though, not wanting to keep them waiting when it was so vital not to waste time.

Karen was the first to manage to speak. "What… just happened?"

They all looked over at Varen, who seemed very nervous. But Zari saved him from having to explain what had occurred.

"We can talk about it later. Right now, we have to get out of here, and quickly, or else we'll be discovered."

"Zari's right," Daine agreed. "So we'd best hurry on. Which direction should we take?"

"They would expect us to go back to the cliff," Zarek stated. "So I advise going the opposite direction."

"But what if they expect us to expect them to go to the cliff? Then they'll find us anyway," Varen joked, seeming less tense now that they weren't pressing him for answers.

"Then we'd best hope that they will expect us to expect them to expect us at the cliff," Ryei replied. "Because if they expect that we expect that they expect that we will try to go the opposite direction, it can be expected that they will probably find us, in which we can then expect that we will be severely outnumbered."

Varen groaned. "My head hurts just listening to you say that; don't expect me to try to decipher it."

"Then you shouldn't bring up subjects such as that," Ryei grinned. "Unless you can claim to understand the responses you will get, anyway. Isn't that all there is to be expected?"

Daine shook his head to try to clear it from the confusing statements, and looked over to see Valor. The happy expression he had caught him off guard.

"You're smiling," he commented.

Valor looked up, realizing Daine was addressing him. "Huh?"

"In all the time you've been with us, you've never showed any kind of joy," Daine explained. "I'm not used to seeing children like that… so it's noticeable when you smile, that's all."

Valor looked away, blushing slightly. Seeing his reaction, Daine changed the subject. "I'm all for Zarek's plan, even if there's a chance of them going either way. It's more likely that they'll go to the cliff, so let's go the opposite way." Daine looked over at Hope. "Are you alright? You seem kind of ill."

"I feel really nauseous…" Hope managed to say.

"I do too, now that you mention it," Karen said.

"I think we all do," Daine stated. "Except for Varen… is that right?"

Varen looked away sheepishly. "I'll explain later. Sorry about that guys."

"It's fine. At least we made it out," Ryei replied. "Daine, you had to make your way through here to get to this building. I assume you could lead us in the opposite direction?"

"Actually, Gaignun did the leading," Daine said, glancing at the wolf. "But I remember the route we took well enough, and I think I could get us going in the other direction. Gaignun, could you make sure I don't stray off course?"

Gaignun nodded before walking towards the trees, with Daine following. The others came as well.

The trip was silent for the most part. The side effects of what Varen had done faded away pretty quickly, so nothing slowed their pace. Zarek noticed a few minutes into the forest that Ark had fallen unconscious once more, but did not mention it. The more rest he got now, the better, after all.

Valor was, like usual, the first to tire. Zari took up the usual role of carrying him though, and everyone else was able to go until the sun had just begun to rise.

As they entered a small clearing, Varen broke the silence. "How about we rest here? I don't know how long I can go on, and I'm sure most of you are just as exhausted as I am."

"Yeah," Daine nodded. "We won't get very far if we can't even bring ourselves to move. Alright, we'll stay here for a while. But we can't remain too long."

"How about just long enough to eat something?" Hope suggested. "We haven't eaten for at least an entire day!"

"True," Ryei replied. "How about you let me take care of the hunting this time? I thought there were a few things you wanted to do?"

Hope glanced at her pack. "You're right, I do. Alright, thanks."

After he left, she went through her pack and brought out a black bundle. They recognized it to be Ark's cape folded up, probably to keep his bloody shirt separate from the other items. Then she got the black thread and needle she had kept all this time, along with the three water canteens.

"I'm going to try and mend this really quickly," Hope explained. "I'll also get some water. I'm sure there has to be a stream somewhere around here; hopefully, Gaignun will be able to find it. I'll be back shortly."

She went out as well, Gaignun at her side. The others remained silent, waiting patiently for their companions to return.

Ryei came back first, carrying three dead rabbits. He glanced around the clearing. "Where did Hope and Gaignun go?"

"To try and find water, along with repairing Ark's shirt," Zari explained as she got up. "I'll retrieve the firewood this time. It's hazardous to attempt one here, since our pursuers might see it, but we'll just have to risk it."

"We'll be fine as long as we're careful," Karen stated.

Just as Ryei finished skinning the last of his kills, Hope came back, carrying two more rabbits and the things she had brought with her. "Sorry it took so long."

"So you got some as well?" Ryei said. "I'll prepare them if you want; might as well, since I've already started."

"Thanks," Hope replied, handing them over. "Gaignun went after them while I was sewing. He also got one for himself, so don't worry about him."

"Did you manage to repair it?" Zari asked.

"I did the best I could," Hope answered. "I'm not that good at sewing, but it will stay together at least. The blood was also hard to remove, but since the shirt is the same color anyway, it didn't really matter." She looked over at Ark's still form. "He hasn't woken up?"

"No, but it would be best to bring him around now anyway," Zarek said.

"I've… been awake…" Ark stated, opening his eyes and sitting up slowly.

"Then it looks like you had us fooled," Varen said.

"How do you feel now?" Hope asked, giving him the two clothing articles.

"…Better, thanks." Ark got up and went into the cover of the trees.

After a few minutes, he returned, this time with his proper garments. He tossed Zari's trench coat over to her before sitting down, leaning against a tree trunk.

"Are you sure you shouldn't be resting now?" Karen inquired. "We still have some time before moving on."

"It does not matter," Ark replied. "Since my wounds healed a long time ago… it won't affect me. It just… pains me… but I have had worse."

Seeing Ark did not want to stay on that topic, Daine decided to change the subject, and turned to Varen. "I think now would be a good time for you to tell us what you did."

Varen knew there was no point in trying to get around it. "Yeah… I'll tell you all everything I know about it."

Once he was sure everyone was listening, he began. "I first learned something was strange about me when I was six. I lived with my mother and a doctor, whose name was Dr. Cecil. He had helped her to deliver me when I was born. My father died in the incident twenty years ago. My mother had not understood what had happened, but Dr. Cecil thought she had survived due to the fact that she was pregnant with me. They did tests before I was born but did not see anything unusual. Even when I was born, nothing was apparent until I became six years old. I was very active at this point, and began to do acrobatic feats. I could do anything that professionals could, which caused Dr. Cecil's suspicions to rise again. After several more examinations, he concluded that it was something in my genes that made me as flexible and agile as I am. This genetic mutation probably saved my life, as well as my mom's."

"Why would a genetic mutation make any difference in whether you lived or died?" Daine asked. "Is it because another specific effect from it was to protect you from whatever killed most of mankind?"

"No," Varen answered. "Dr. Cecil said that while most humans died, other organisms lived on. It's possible that what happened twenty years ago only targeted people. If that is the case, then maybe this genetic mutation made it so that I would not be classified as human."

"I could see that theory being true," Ryei nodded. "But continue."

"Over the years, I continued to practice my acrobatic skills. When I was sixteen, I attempted something pretty stupid though. I tried to jump over a deep ditch, but misjudged the distance. If I had hit the bottom, I would have been injured severely. But when I was falling, I suddenly found myself on the other side. Amazed that I had been saved, I looked around, but nobody else was there."

"After thinking over it, I finally realized what I could do. I have the ability to teleport. By triggering something in my mind, I can teleport to any location I can or have seen. However, there are certain limitations that I discovered after much practice. I can only teleport up to two miles. I can bring a small group of people with me, but they usually feel nauseous afterwards. I have never tried moving such a large group of people, but it looks like I can do it… I doubt I would have been able to go a major distance though. If I teleport a larger distance or with so many people, I feel weary, but I get over it pretty quickly. Apparently, the way I can teleport is by opening a gate to a different dimension. But I'm through it so quickly that I don't even know what it's like in there. I probably would have never guessed I was even in one if Dr. Cecil hadn't."

Daine broke the silence. "Sounds pretty interesting… I don't know about the rest of you, but it was so fast that I barely had time to see what was going on."

"Is that why you wanted to look around the prison on your own?" Zarek asked. "So you could see the location outside to be able to teleport?"

"Yep," Varen said. "Sorry to be so secretive back there, but I don't like to tell anyone about my powers unless it's necessary."

"It also explains why they would blindfold you," Ryei stated. "Can you show us how it looks when you alone are doing it? Unless it would tire you out…"

"Nah, just going short distances by myself doesn't affect me," Varen assured.

Then he was suddenly gone, the only evidence that he had been there being a strange purple smoke and the strange 'bamf' sound they had heard before.

Less than a second after he had vanished, he was on the other side of the clearing.

"What is that noise that is made when you teleport?" Karen inquired.

"I think it's the air filling up the gateway that I use," Varen explained. "But that pretty much covers everything… so, what do you guys think?"

"All I have to say is that I'm glad you were there to get us out of that place," Daine replied. "I don't know why you would be able to do this, or how you would acquire such a mutation, but it seems pretty useful."

"So none of you will be holding anything against me?" Varen asked.

"We all have our secrets," Hope said. "It's only fair that we should tell of them when we are ready to."

"I think we all agree with that," Daine stated.

"Thanks for trusting me," Varen said.

"Not a problem," Ryei replied, and examined one of the rabbits that had been roasting. "I think it's pretty much ready… shall we eat?"

As he watched the others eating, Ryei recalled two things that had been said by his companions, and decided to inquire on them.

"Valor? You said you had been through several experiments. Is that why you only eat meat?"

"I don't know," Valor answered. "I was never able to tell what differences were made from the experiments. But I guess it's possible…"

"How about you, Ark?" Ryei asked. "You seem to consume a lot more than we do."

"I assume it is side effects of my instantaneous healing," Ark said. "My body probably requires more energy than most, hence why I feel as though I must eat more than other people."

"I see," was all Ryei said.

When they had finished and had put out the small fire, they stood up to leave.

"Do you need any assistance?" Zarek asked Ark.

"No, thanks. I can handle it."

Just as they were leaving the clearing though, they heard a high-pitched beeping. They turned to Yamato, who reached into his pocket. A second later, the beeping noise vanished.

"That didn't seem to have the same pitch as when you used it before," Ryei noted.

"That's because it has a different meaning this time," Karen said, looking somewhat depressed. "We have to go."

"What? Leave? But what if our pursuers find you two?" Hope asked.

"We'll be able to fight them off," Karen replied. "Besides, this might actually help you guys. If they figure out that we've split up, they won't know which direction to go."

"Possibly… I still regret that we will be parting ranks though," Daine stated. "Will you come back?"

"Doubtful," Yamato said. "It is more likely that we will never see each other again."

"That's downright depressing," Varen sighed. "But there's not much we can do, huh? You did say a while back that you would have to leave sooner or later. So… I guess this is goodbye."

"Travel safely," Zari said.

"Thanks," Karen nodded. "It was nice meeting all of you. Thanks for letting us accompany you."

Then the duo strode away, leaving the group to move on.

…..

"I can't believe how many things have gone wrong," Ikari complained as he walked along on top of the cliff. "Going by my luck, some more soldiers will come out now and tell me I'm under arrest because I'm on lands where Varen and the others are. Yeesh…"

At that moment, a group of five soldiers stepped out of the cover of the trees, and halted when they saw Ikari.

"Um… hi?" Ikari offered.

The head soldier took out his gun, pointing it at Ikari.

That was all Ikari needed to see. Normally he wouldn't mind fighting them, but he only had his sword and would therefore be easily picked off from a distance. Besides, who knew how many friends they had nearby? So he ran into the forest as fast as possible, the soldiers pursuing him.

…..

It was just before evening when Yamato and Karen arrived at their base. To a normal traveler, it would have just looked like a rock wall.

But Yamato and Karen were well aware of what was concealed behind it. Yamato went up to a part of the wall and shoved aside the sliding rock door, revealing a cave. They stepped inside and Yamato pulled the door back into its position before they went down the dark hallway.

As they went on though, the rock floor, walls, and ceiling soon became metal. They made their way through the labyrinth of metal passages, heading for a room near the center of the base.

Yamato knocked on the door, and it slid open shortly. They stepped inside as it closed automatically.

The room was pretty bare, except for a desk with a computer and a table with a few papers scattered about. There was only one person in this room. The woman they had been speaking with via Yamato's device was sitting at the chair at the head of the table.

"So you've finally arrived," Rico said. "Have a seat if you want."

"Thanks," Karen replied as they did. "So why have you called us back?"

"I thought you needed a chance to rest before your next mission," Rico explained.

"Our next mission? What is it?" Yamato questioned.

"I will tell everyone at once. Zoke is currently on an assassination mission, so it will have to wait. He should not take too long though; it's a rather easy assignment."

"Alright. So has anything happened while we were gone?" Karen inquired.

"Nothing of importance," Rico shrugged. "So go ahead and do whatever you want until Zoke returns. Both of you are dismissed."

They left the room and went down the hallway. They were about to continue on to their rooms when they heard someone speak.

"Hey. Looks like you guys finally got back."

They turned to see two people standing there. One was a woman who wore a full body suit that was blue and white. She also had blue gloves and blue high-heeled boots, which matched her blue helmet. Her hair was the same color, as were her dark eyes.

The other one wore very cumbersome white and blue armor, but did not seem to be effected by it. His midsection was black, and his belt yellow, but other than that the armor completely covered him. Even his head was concealed, although his red eyes were perfectly visible. The strange thing about his eyes was that he had no irises or pupils. They were just blank, red eyes.

"Reiz, Ohgun," Karen replied. "Nice to see you two again."

"Same," Reiz nodded-she had been the one to greet them. "So how did it go?"

"Not well," Yamato stated shortly.

"Blake beat you to it? He hasn't managed to do that for a while," Ohgun pointed out.

"Circumstances came up," Yamato said.

"Oh? Like what?" Reiz asked, seeming interested.

"We'll tell you later," Karen said. "I personally want to have some time to relax."

"Fine. Until next time," Reiz replied, leaving. Ohgun went the same way as her while Yamato and Karen continued to their rooms.

Soon they came to two doors that were across the hall from each other, and were for her and Yamato's use. They split up, and Karen went into hers and set her Duel Disk and pack inside it.

As she sat on her bed thinking over some of the events that had occurred in the past few days, she heard the door across the hall open and then shut. Apparently, Yamato had left.

After a moment of hesitation, Karen left her room and entered Yamato's cautiously.

Ever since she had seen that picture that Yamato had dropped, she had been curious to find out more. That was why she even dared to enter his room. But as she entered his room for the first time in her life, she was shocked by what she saw.

There was one bed that seemed to have been used not too long ago, but there was another in the corner. This one looked as though it had not been used for a very long time though. Also, around the room there were several pictures. Most of them had two occupants in them. One was Yamato, who seemed a bit younger than he was now, showing the pictures had been taken a while ago. The other person in them was that woman that Karen had seen in the photo Yamato carried around. There were a few pictures with just the woman alone, but not many.

Even more curious, she went over to his closet and opened it. It seemed to be clearly separated into two different sections. On the left were Yamato's clothes, but on the right were ones a woman would wear.

Karen closed the closet doors softly, wondering about this new development. _It seems like Yamato lived with a woman before he met me. But who is she? And why did he stop living with her?_

She was torn from her thoughts as she heard footsteps outside, stopping outside the door. Not wanting to be caught here of all places, Karen went into the safest place possible: under Yamato's bed.

She was just in time. As she slid underneath it, she heard the door open, and Yamato came inside.

_Oh no,_ Karen groaned mentally. _This is not good… I really hope he leaves soon…_

Karen couldn't even bring herself to breathe as she watched Yamato go over to where he had lain his sword down. He picked it up and carefully felt the edge. With a sigh, he slung it over his shoulder and went back outside, shutting the door once more.

Karen sighed in relief. _He must have just come to get his sword to have it sharpened. Thank everything._

Still, she was not about to pass up the opportunity it left for her to get out of there. She quickly came back out from under the bed and went out of his room and back to her own. There she lay down on her bed, waiting for her heart to stop pounding while pondering over what she had seen.

…..

At about that time, the group was still walking through the forest. Ever since the duo had left them, they had been in a heavy silence. They were usually quiet when traveling anyway, but this was much more discomforting.

"Man, I'm depressed," Varen commented as they went on. "Even if Yamato wasn't much of a talker, both he and Karen were good to have around."

"True, but there is nothing we can do about it," Ryei stated.

"I know that. I was just saying…"

"I think we all feel the same," Daine replied. "But even though we will miss them, we can't let it stop us."

Varen gave a resigned shrug as they went on.

Hope was especially missing Karen. She had grown to like her from the short while she had known her. The incident in the prison had only reinforced that for her. But the opportunity to become strong friends was pretty much gone now.

Gaignun cut through her brooding thoughts with a snarl. _I smell a large group approaching. It must be more of those soldiers. If they catch up to us when we are still in a weakened condition, I do not know how we will fare, especially if they have that woman with them who put everyone to sleep._

_You're right. We should speed up the pace. _

"What's wrong with him?" Daine asked, looking at the wolf.

"He must have caught the scent of someone else," Hope explained. "Which means our pursuers might be close by."

"What? They caught up with us? Dang it!" Varen exclaimed.

"We can defend ourselves if we need to," Ryei pointed out.

"It would be wiser to flee than fight though," Zarek stated. "We are tired from all of this traveling and the incident in the prison. If we get overwhelmed by a large force, who knows how it would turn out."

"And if they still have that person with them who caused us to be knocked out, we could be in a very bad position," Zari said. "I agree; it would be a better idea to run."

"Then let's keep up the pace!" Varen advised as they went on.

A few minutes later, the trees suddenly thinned out, before leaving them in a new location. A short distance from the trees was a gorge. It was a fair distance to cross, and it did not look as though they would be able to get over it in any way except for one. A rope bridge was the only way to get over it.

They went over to the edge of the gorge and found that it was a long drop to the swift river below.

"Damn it! Why did a gorge have to be here, out of all places?" Varen complained.

Zarek had gone over to the bridge and was looking over it. "I can't tell how safe this would be to cross…"

"I think it's way too risky!" Varen growled, glaring at the bridge. "Geez, in our day and age you'd think they wouldn't have any of these kinds of bridges!"

"Still, we have to try it," Zari said. "If we stay here, we'll be caught for sure."

"Besides, we can gain an advantage once we make it over there," Ryei stated. "If we cut down the ropes that support the bridge, then any chance they have of following us will be eliminated."

"That's true," Hope agreed. "It's also the best plan we have."

"Well, the only other way across is to have Varen teleport us over," Daine said. "But after how we felt last time, with such a short distance, I don't think that would be a good idea. We may have two less people than before, but with such an increase in distance, Varen would probably be too tired to move for a while and we would be too nauseous to stop the soldiers from coming after us. The bridge is really our only option."

"I guess so," Varen sighed. "Can we at least go one at a time? I really don't trust that thing."

_How far away would you say they are now? _Hope asked Gaignun.

_A few minutes away.__ We will not all be able to get over there before they arrive if we do what Varen wants._

"I don't like it either, but we can't afford to waste time by being cautious," Hope said.

"If we put too much strain on certain sections of the bridge though, it will break apart," Ryei replied. "So I suggest we do this. Gaignun is probably the most surefooted among us, so he goes first. Hope and I can come from behind. After a few steps, the next two proceed, and then the next two, and then the last two."

"Better than all of us going at once," Zari agreed.

"Ok then. Gaignun, let's go!" Hope ordered.

Gaignun went over to the bridge and stepped on it, testing it for a second. Then he began trotting across, seeming completely unworried by the drop.

Feeling a bit more confident from Gaignun's unconcerned walk, Hope went after him, as did Ryei. Hope still kept one hand on the rope handrails but Ryei walked on without even glancing at them.

"Zari, Valor, you two should go now," Daine said as the trio got a fair distance across the bridge.

"Ok," Zari nodded, and took Valor's hand. "Ready?"

"Yes." Valor was somewhat nervous still, but he wasn't about to let his worries slow down the others. So they went onto the bridge as well.

"Varen, Zarek, you're next," Daine told them.

"No. You three go first," Zarek said, bringing out his switchblade. "I'll stay here until all of you make it to the other side."

"What are you thinking? The whole reason we're going this way is to avoid a fight!" Varen said. "And you want to stay here to get into one?"

"I will not stay," Zarek stated. "I just want to be the last across."

Daine understood why then. "It's your body, isn't it?"

"Although I do not weigh that much, the metal parts I am made out of make me much heavier than anyone else," Zarek explained. "If the bridge were to break apart at some of its weaker points, it is better that I be the last one."

Daine saw his point, and knew they didn't have the time to argue over it anyway. "Ok then. Varen, Ark, let's go."

"If Zarek's going to be the last, then I'll be the second to last," Varen declared. "Two at a time is less risky than three. You and Ark should go now."

"Fine," Daine sighed, starting over. Ark looked over at the last two for a moment before following.

Varen waited until they were a short distance away before stepping on himself. "Come on. We have to get moving now!"

"Very well." Zarek came onto it as well.

Gaignun, still in the lead, was about two thirds the way across the bridge when he suddenly stopped, snarling as he looked back the way they had come.

Everyone turned to see a large amount of soldiers step out. But the soldiers did not seem concerned about them. They merely watched, not attempting to come any closer.

"I don't like this," Zarek stated. "They could gain an easy advantage over us when we're in a narrow space such as this. Why aren't they attempting to?"

"Because they know I have complete control over the situation."

Everyone spun around just in time to see a black cloaked figure on the other side, where they were headed, throw two objects. With a black flash, the objects cut through the ropes suspending the bridge on the other side almost instantly. But as they had been soaring for the other side, he had produced two more and sliced through the ropes on his side as well.

The bridge immediately tore away. There was barely any time to respond before the group members began to fall.

Daine was unable to do anything before he struck the water, instantly falling unconscious from the impact. Ark met the same fate.

Hope was luckier though. Her breath was torn from her as she landed in the water, but she managed to stay conscious, even through the pain. Ryei also was able to keep his wits about him, even as he found himself submerged.

Valor had still been holding onto Zari's hand when the sudden collapse had occurred. She managed to wrap her arms around him, like Ark had done for Daine when falling off the cliff, before they struck the water.

Varen reacted out of pure instinct. With a 'bamf', Varen was gone, crashing into the other side of the gorge. Zarek landed there too, and although stunned by the quick events and by hitting ground hard, he forced himself up and looked over the side of the gorge.

But it was too late. Any trace of them was gone, swept away by the waters.

…..

Hope was very thankful at this moment that she was a good swimmer. She quickly surfaced, but could see nobody else.

"Is anyone here?" Hope called, trying her best to tread water in the fierce current.

In response, Gaignun suddenly emerged from the water, swimming over to her.

"Gaignun!" she exclaimed, wrapping one of her arms around his neck so they wouldn't be separated. _Did you see anyone else?_

_No. They could be anywhere._

_This is bad… I don't know if anyone else could swim._

A new voice cut into theirs. _At least one of us could._

They looked over to see Ryei swim over too.

"Ryei! I'm glad to see you made it,"Hope said.

"Same to you and Gaignun. Unfortunately, I have not been able to see anyone else."

"That's not good… should we look?"Hope suggested.

"No," Ryei replied. "Even if we are good swimmers, we won't be able to stay above the water with this current for very long. We should get to dry land as soon as possible."

"I hate abandoning them… but you're right. There's nothing we can do…" Hope sighed.

The three of them began to make their way towards the side of the gorge, looking for the first place that they could emerge.

…..

Valor felt Zari's tight grasp on him loosen as they sunk deeper into the water. He twisted free of it, but kept a tight grip on her arm.

He had never had the chance to swim before, and he knew he was not strong enough to support Zari. But he couldn't just leave Zari to drown.

However, Valor had no idea on how to help her until they crashed into a large rock in the middle of the river.

With the fierce current, they normally would have been pushed away from it instantly. But Valor reacted swiftly. With a burst of adrenaline, he grabbed onto the rock with one hand and keeping a tight grip on Zari's arm with the other. Then, using his legs as leverage, he burst out of the water and pulled himself onto the rock, dragging Zari up with him.

He suddenly found himself to be very weary. Whether it was from the strength he should not have had or from nearly drowning, he found himself unable to keep his eyes open.

…..

Varen looked over the side, his face pale. "A fall like that… Would they… have made it?"

Zarek turned back to their attacker, switchblade at the ready. "I don't know. But we won't be able to find out until we deal with this man first."

The soldiers on the other side of the gorge appeared to be too shocked to do anything. The black cloaked man did not seem to be worried though. He calmly lowered the cloak of his hood, revealing his short, black hair and brown eyes.

"Indeed you will. So, it seems you have the ability to teleport. Well, why didn't you rescue your friends with it?"

Zarek looked over at him. "I was wondering that too. You saved me, which I am grateful for; I could not have survived being submerged in a body of water like that. But why not the others?"

"That was a limitation I forgot to mention," Varen said bitterly. "If I was to teleport to the ground while falling from the gorge, I would still hit the ground with full impact from the fall. You must have noticed that the landing was rougher this time than last time. So if I had tried to save them, they would have died from such an impact."

"I see…" Zarek eyed the attacker warily. "So you're another of the ones after Daine. How do you wish to settle this?"

"A duel would be more preferable," the man replied. "I have no interest with you in hand-to-hand combat. And if you agree to this, then you won't have to worry about the other soldiers."

They looked over at the group, which were armed with rifles.

"Alright then. I suppose this will be the best option," Zarek agreed, sheathing his switchblade. "The less deaths there are in these times, the better."

"Hold on." Varen went up to them and turned on his Duel Disk. "Let me duel him. I'm officially ticked off at what he's done, and that I couldn't do anything to help the others. If I can make up for it a bit by getting this guy out of the way, then I will!"

"If that is what you wish," Zarek said, stepping aside.

"Fine, I don't care who I duel," the man shrugged. "As for introductions, I am Eric."

"I'm Varen, he's Zarek. So are you ready?"

"After choosing my Deck Master." Eric took out a card from his deck. A second later, the humanoid monster had appeared. He had on a gray, sleeveless shirt, and gray pants, with matching gray boots. Strapped over his shoulder was a green ammunition holder that went down to his waist. He wore a wristband on each of his powerful arms, and carried two guns, the holsters at his hips. His silver hair went down to his shoulders. He also had a green and brown eye patch over his right eye, but his other brown eye remained uncovered.

"Don Zaruug is what I chose," Eric said.

"I'll pick Mermaid Knight," Varen stated, bringing it out.

"Not exactly a card that fits you," Eric smirked.

"Maybe not in looks, but her effect will have you begging me for mercy," Varen said. "Not that you should expect me to forgive you or anything."

"Hm. We'll see if your boasts are accurate soon enough. So, shall we play without shields?"

"Fine by me!"

Varen: 8000

Eric: 8000

"Mind if I start?" Varen requested.

"Fine by me."

"I'll lay one monster in defense mode, and one card down. I also play The Legendary City Atlantis."

Eric braced himself as the tidal waves rushed in, engulfing the field in water.

"This field magic card raises all of my Water Main-Types' stats by 200, and lowers their level by one. It's your turn."

"Already it looks like I can take advantage of the situation," Eric stated, seeming unconcerned by Atlantis. "I summon Black Scorpion-Trap Remover Kurifu." (1200/1000)

Zarek watched as the monster appeared. "Black Scorpions…"

"Do you know anything about them?" Varen asked.

"I know enough to be aware of how deadly they are," Zarek said. "They are weak when it comes to stats, but their effects more than make up for it."

"He's right," Eric confirmed. "For now I will activate Don Zaruug's Deck Master ability by paying 500 Life Points."

Varen: 8000

Eric: 7500

"I choose one monster with the words Black Scorpion in its name, and its attack is lowered to 100. However, in exchange for this, it can attack directly. So I will use it on Kurifu. Now he attacks!"

"Not happening," Varen said. "I activate Tornado Wall! This card makes all battle damage you to do to me zero as long as I have an Atlantis on the field."

But the Kurifu leapt right around the water tornados that sprang up, slashing Varen.

Varen: 7900

Eric: 7500

"How is that possible?" Varen demanded.

"The monster I select for Zaruug's effect also gets another benefit. You cannot affect its attack with your magic or trap cards. So my Kurifu's attack was unhindered. And since he has done battle damage to you, his effect now activates. I can choose to either have you discard two cards off the top of your deck or destroy one magic or trap card on your field. I will choose to destroy your Atlantis."

"Curses," Varen muttered as he slid it into the Cemetery slot. "That also means my Tornado Wall is gone, since it's destroyed when Atlantis is."

"All the better. I lay one card down and end my turn."

"I'll pass…" Varen said, looking over his cards.

"I summon Spiteful Miine. (1000/1800) Then I activate Don Zaruug's Deck Master ability and use it on her."

Varen: 7900

Eric: 7000

"Spiteful Miine attacks you directly!"

Varen: 7800

Eric: 7000

"Her effect activates, since she did battle damage to you. I search either my deck or Cemetery for a monster with the words Black Scorpion in its name and add it to my hand. I'll search my deck… ah, here we go." Eric shuffled his deck for a few minutes before returning it to his deck slot. "It's your turn."

Varen sighed in relief. "Now I can finally start attacking. I will start by activating Terra Forming! This magic card lets me search my deck for a field magic card and add it to my hand. I'll get Atlantis and play it!"

"Kurifu will just destroy it again," Eric stated.

"Not if I kill him first! Since my Atlantis is out, and lowers my monsters' levels by one, I can summon Giga Gagagigo for no sacrifices. (2650/1700) I'll flip summon Water Configuration Bakross MK-3. (1700/1500) Now I activate Mermaid Knight's Deck Master ability! I choose one of my Water Main-Types, and it can attack twice if Atlantis is out. So I choose Giga Gagagigo. Now, he attacks Kurifu! Then Miine! And MK-3 attacks directly!"

Varen: 7800

Eric: 2200

"Impressive," Eric said. He seemed severely weakened by the attacks but still stood up straight. "I suppose your Deck Master is good. Is that all?"

"Yep."

"Then it's time for me to go on the offense," Eric announced. "You may have gotten rid of two of my Scorpion cards, but Miine managed to get me the last card I needed before she was destroyed."

"What do you mean?" Varen asked.

"First I play Jar of Greed. Next I will summon Don Zaruug. (1400/1500) Then I activate a magic card, The Black Scorpions Assemble! This can only be used when I have a Don Zaruug on the field. It allows me to special summon as many cards from my hand with the words Black Scorpion in their name. I can only summon one of each but it will accomplish exactly what I want it to. For now, I can special summon Trap Remover Kurifu, Spiteful Miine, Running Chikku, (1000/1000) and Strong Googu!" (1800/1500)

"I'd be threatened if they weren't so weak," Varen said dryly.

"Their strength doesn't matter; it is their effects that will tear you apart. For now I activate my trap card, Deadly! Black Scorpion Combination!"

Varen eyed the five Scorpions again. "Do I want to know what that does?"

"Probably not, but allow me to explain what Black Scorpion Combination does anyway. It lets me attack directly with all of them. If I choose to do this, their attacks are lowered to 400, but it's well worth it."

"Then… that means they'll all nail me with their effects!" Varen realized.

"Exactly. Now I'll have my four remaining Scorpions attack directly."

Zarek winced as he watched the four Scorpions attack Varen at the same time, sending him flying back. "I don't envy you."

"Shut up," Varen grumbled as he stood up, his several wounds bleeding.

Varen: 5700

Eric: 2200

"Now, to explain their effects. Miine's you already know, so I'll search my deck for another Black Scorpion. Running Chikku lets me look at the top card in your deck and leave it there or put it on the bottom of your deck. But I would prefer to use his other effect instead, which allows me to choose one card on the field and send it back to your hand. I will choose MK-3. Then we have Don Zaruug's effect, which discards one random card from your hand or two cards from the top of your deck. I prefer the former"

Varen shuffled his cards around and selected one without looking. "MK-3… just great."

"And Googu's effect sends one monster to the top of your deck or discards one card from the top of your deck. So Giga Gagagigo goes back to the top of your deck."

"Ugh. This sucks," Varen complained. "My turn?"

"I lay one card down and end."

"I wonder what I'll get this turn," Varen said sarcastically as he drew. "Still, I might be able to get some damage done. I summon Sea Dragon Warrior of Darkness. (1800/1500) He attacks Don Zaruug!"

"I won't allow it," Eric said. "I activate Magic Cylinder, negating your attack and dealing damage to you equal to your monster's attack."

Varen: 3900

Eric: 2200

"Dang it," Varen growled. "Only thing I can do is lay one card down…"

"I pay 500 Life Points for Don Zaruug to use his Deck Master ability on Kurifu once more."

Varen: 3900

Eric: 1700

"Now Kurifu attacks directly, destroying your magic or trap card."

"That was my Holy Barrier-Mirror Force…" Varen said as it was destroyed.

"Very good. Now Googu attacks, killing both of our monsters! Then the other three attack directly!"

Varen: 400

Eric: 1700

Varen got up slowly, wincing as his injuries flared with pain.

"Don Zaruug forces you to discard a card in your hand, Miine allows me to get another Scorpion, and I will use Chiiku's effect to look at the top card in your deck."

Varen shuffled around his two cards, and took one out. "My Giga Gagagigo…" Then he drew his top card, showing it to Eric.

"Sealing Swords of Light? Send it to the bottom of your deck."

"Damn it," Varen muttered as he put it at the bottom of his deck. "This doesn't look good for me…"

"Can you still win?" Zarek asked.

"Well, possibly… he doesn't have many Life Points left. If I can just get the right cards, then maybe…"

"Take your turn," Eric said, slightly impatient.

"Let's see how this goes," Varen said, drawing his card. He looked over it. "Hm, that works… I'll take a leaf out of your book and play my own Jar of Greed. Alright! Now I play Angel's Gift! And… I've just hit the jackpot," Varen grinned. "I discard Legendary Fisherman and Thunder Fish. Then I play Salvage! This allows me to get two Water Main-Type monsters from my Cemetery that have an attack of 1500 or less. So I choose Thunder Fish and MK-3. Then I activate Magic Shard Evacuation! By discarding two cards from my hand-Thunder Fish and Magic Guarder this time-I get a magic card from my Cemetery. So I take back Atlantis and play it! Then I summon MK-3!"

"Even if you can attack twice, that will not do enough damage to kill me," Eric pointed out.

"You're overlooking the fact that MK-3 has an effect!" Varen said. "If I have Atlantis on the field, he can attack directly, and I'll have him do so!"

Eric watched the MK-3 lunge at him. "It looks like I will die after all. Even the smallest mistake in a strategy can unravel everything; I deserve this fate…"

Then the machine tore him apart before fading away, leaving only the scraps of black fabric, blood, and the mutilated body to show what Eric had once been.

Varen: 400

Eric: 0

"Ugh…" Varen stumbled backwards, looking sickened. "There was no way around it, but that's just nasty…"

"Sometimes we have no choice but to kill," Zarek stated.

"Yeah… doesn't make me feel any happier." Varen sank down to his knees, shaking slightly.

"How badly are you hurt?" Zarek asked, coming over to him.

"I have a lot of wounds but they're shallow mostly, since the Scorpions kept hitting me with weakened attacks." Varen looked over at the soldiers on the other bank. "We can worry about my health later. If we stick around here, we're dead."

The soldiers were talking amongst themselves, but they fell silent as their leader said something. Then they turned and went back into the forest.

"Hey, what do you know? They're following Eric's instructions," Varen said. "Nice to know that not all of them are brainless savages."

"Indeed." Zarek looked back at the gorge. "Now that they are gone, what do you want to do? Do you wish to rest so your wounds can heal, or go to search for the others?"

"We should search," Varen answered. "I can teleport us down there even if I am injured."

"You are sure?"

"I can't just stand still while they're down there," Varen answered. "They could be anywhere now, but if we wait it'll be even harder to find them. So let's start looking."

"Very well," Zarek nodded. "If that's what you want."

"It is. Ready?"

"Whenever you are."

Then they were gone with a 'bamf'.

To be continued…


	15. Purpose of Fighting

Sorry for the long wait, but I had a rough time choosing a deck type for the opponent in this chapter.

Fun fact of the day: Ironically, until this chapter was posted, this fiction had 67,666 words in it.

Demon Fan: I've never watched X-Men, to be honest. A friend of mine designed Varen, and yes, he apparently based him off Nightcrawler. But don't look at me, I hardly know anything about anything in X-Men. And what is Peacemaker?

John: Nah, Ikari belongs in his own, messed up little world.

Captain Obvious: Yeah, I rather like both effects.

Erestor Telemnar: Thanks.

**Chapter 15: Purpose of Fighting**

In the gorge, the river was enclosed by solid rock walls at first. But by going downstream for some distance, the walls began to slope, as the high elevation the group had originally been on smoothed out on the lower landscape. It was somewhat bare nearby the river, but close to it were more trees. These forests, once so rare in populated areas, had been left alone after the incident by the few survivors. Without anyone to interfere, the trees had had time to flourish, causing most of the areas abandoned to be covered in woods.

It was a common subject for the black-cloaked man to ponder over. At the cost of one species, another had been able to grow in abundant qualities.

_Is that the only way for two different races to live in harmony? By killing off one of them? _The man shook his head. He'd asked himself that question too many times, and he never knew the answer. This time, it was no different.

Compared to his fellow members among the black cloaks, he was certainly an odd one. He was somewhat younger than most of them, looking as though he was in his mid-twenties. Unlike his secretive companions, he often kept the hood of his cloak off, revealing his somewhat spiky, dark blonde hair that went to the end of his shoulder blades. His eyes were what surprised most people though. Their color, a deep gold, was startling enough. But there was something else about them that unsettled those who looked into them…

He was only able to get out of keeping the hood up when he was alone, which was one reason why he liked working solo. Wearing the concealing cloak just did not appeal to him, as it made it difficult to travel, fight, and was insanely hot when it wasn't winter. He didn't like keeping his features hidden either; it just wasn't his style. Protocol was protocol though, and as much as wearing the black cloak irritated him, he dealt with it.

"Sometimes I even wonder why I bothered to join," he sighed. "But if I can save lives by helping them, I suppose it's better than doing nothing."

He looked over at the swift-flowing water from the large rock he was sitting on by the bank. "Still, I'm not quite ready to report back yet. Not like there's no reason to anyway. They're used to me being late to contact them."

"Hm… it's been twenty years, hasn't it?" He continued to watch the river as he spoke to himself. "I was only five back then, but I still remember my parents so well. Guess that stands to reason though… it's not like I've met anyone else I can particularly say I like…"

He trailed off when he saw something. From the raging waters, a man crashed into a rock in the middle of the river, slumping over it. But due to the strong currents, the man was already beginning to slip away.

He didn't even think about what he was doing as he leapt off of the rock and ran to the side of the shore, vaulting over to the rock in the stream. He landed, and nearly fell over due to the slipperiness of the rock. He managed to recover his balance quickly though and grabbed the man around the waist before jumping back to shore. With the additional weight, he did not quite make it to dry land, but he landed in shallow enough waters to be able to stumble onto the shore.

"Whew… surprised I was able to do that," he muttered, laying the man on the shore. Although unconscious, he began to cough violently, releasing the water that had entered his body.

The man wearing the black cloak watched in disbelief as he kept coughing for several minutes. "How did you even manage to survive? Judging by how much water you swallowed, you should have drowned a long time ago." He shrugged. "Then again, what do I know about it?"

As the man finally went motionless, he looked over him and noticed something. The man's long, silver hair had just reminded him of an important description he had seen and read about recently.

"I wonder…" He reached into his Duel Disk and brought out a folded up piece of paper from the spare compartment. After quickly unfolding it, his suspicions were confirmed. "Aha! A friend of the marked one, huh? I don't know how you ended up here, but I'm guessing your friends will be nearby. Let's see… yep, description fits completely. So, if these instructions are correct, I guess it's my job to kill you, Ark."

He considered the unconscious form for a moment before kneeling beside him and examining him. "Seems like you're completely out of it. I could slay you right now and save myself a lot of trouble later." He shook his head. "But no. I'm not that heartless. Besides, I have just thought of a use for you."

He lifted Ark and slung him over his shoulder with barely any difficulty. "Geez, you're light. Do you never eat or something?"

Of course, he got no reply. So he started off for the forest, saying one last thing.

"Either way, you'll do fine for what I need. Sorry to have to put you through this, but it just makes things so much easier."

…..

At first, Daine had no idea where he was. It was night time, and he was struggling to just remember what had last happened.

He sat up slowly, looking around. He was on the shore next to the river. Seeing the fierce current instantly brought his memory up to speed.

"They ambushed us!" Daine growled, standing. "I don't know how I even lived through that… I guess I was washed onto shore pretty quickly. I have the most amazing luck." He considered his options. "I have no idea where the others are, or if they even survived. I don't know if Zarek had a chance to live… but it's possible he and Varen were able to get off the bridge before the bridge collapsed. I wasn't able to see them before I fell unconscious. As for the others, maybe they managed to make it out too, or were able to swim."

He began walking over to the woods. "Well, if any of them survived, they wouldn't stay by the shore. I'd have better luck searching the woods."

…..

Ark knew instantly that something was wrong. He cautiously opened his eyes, and gazed at his surroundings.

He was lying in a clearing that was inside a forest. But that made no sense; the last thing he could remember was falling down the gorge.

Ark tried to move his arms, but found that they were bound behind his back. His legs were also tied together. He was instantly able to infer what had occurred.

_One of the soldiers or black-cloaked people must have found me,_ Ark realized. _But why would I be left alone, even if I cannot do anything? This is too suspicious for my liking…_

With that thought in mind, he concentrated on his injuries. They were a bit more agonizing than before, due to the painful fall, but he guessed that they would be mostly recovered after another day.

Since there was nothing he could do besides let himself try to get over the pain, Ark let himself fall asleep. Being a light sleeper, he was sure that if anything happened, he would come to instantly.

…..

After he had made a few preparations, the cloaked figure had finally decided that it was time to try and find the members of the group. He kept to the shadows of the trees, walking quietly through the forest.

Then he heard footsteps. He quickly ducked behind a tree trunk and waited for the person to pass before looking at him from behind the tree trunk.

_Black clothes… black hair… and black gloves. _He smiled at the irony of it. _So, the one I've wanted to kill for so long gets to be my first victim. Seems perfect, doesn't it? _Then he looked over at the teen again. _I'm still suspicious about what I've been told though. It seems like I was right to take all these precautions. Now, if I can just get him to come to the proper place…_

…..

Daine kept his wits about him as he walked on through the dark woods. So far, he had heard nothing besides his own footsteps and breathing though. The forest animals all seemed to have vanished. There wasn't even any wind.

_I'm getting a bad feeling about this…_ Daine thought as he looked around.

Suddenly, he heard a twig crunch. He spun to where he had heard the sound come from.

The tree was silent and empty, but that did not make Daine feel any better. _I could have sworn I heard somebody. Was it just an animal?_

After another few minutes of walking, he heard another sound. But again, nobody was in the tree he looked at.

Then it happened once more. This time, when he turned to the tree that the noise had been at, he saw a dark figure leaping off it.

He ran over to where the figure had landed, but found nothing. Disturbed by what he had seen, he looked down at the ground. There he saw the grass and dirt beneath it pressed down, showing that the person had gone that way.

_I think that person is following me. But why? Is it an assassination attempt or something? _Daine examined the barely noticeable trail again, and then began to follow it. _It would be better if I found this person before they can gain the advantage of surprise. They'll probably notice me pursuing them pretty soon and reveal themselves then, but at least I'll be ready._

However, after following the fairly straight path for a while, he was forced to halt.

_What? The trail's ended... But why so abruptly?_

For the first time in a while, he raised his eyes from the trail and saw a clearing in front of him, with someone lying on the ground in it.

As Daine stepped into the clearing, Ark's eyes snapped open, having been awoken by his approach. He looked over to see who was coming.

Due to the darkness, Daine had not recognized who was there until he saw his companion's red eyes.

"Ark! What…"

But Ark was more concerned about the shadow that had just emerged behind Daine. "Behind you!"

"Too late," the cloaked figure said, placing something with a steel edge against Daine's neck.

Daine froze, shocked. When he got a hold on himself, he spoke to the person behind him calmly. "It looks like I fell for your trap."

"You didn't think I would leave a trail unless I wanted to be followed, did you?"

"I thought it was kind of suspicious, but I didn't think much about it," Daine replied, still not moving. "Now I know better."

"Either way, you wouldn't leave as long as your friend's here, would you? Don't blame him for letting you fall for my ambush; he didn't even know I was here until now. I assure you that he's unharmed, and will remain that way as long as you follow my instructions."

Ark closed his eyes. "Sorry…"

"It's not your fault," Daine said. "The outcome probably wouldn't have changed even if you had been able to warn me earlier." He directed his attention to the one behind him. "So, aren't you going to kill me?"

"Why do you think that?"

"I know that you must be one of those black-cloaked guys that have been after me," Daine replied. "There's no way you can be just a soldier. All of the ones who come after me with black cloaks want me dead, so I have no reason to believe any differently for you."

"Good deduction," the man replied. "However, you might say I'm a bit… different… from the others. I prefer to see things with my own eyes, before blindly killing anything I've been ordered to slay." He paused before continuing. "I assume you are the one they call the marked one?"

"You assume correctly."

"Then I wish to try something." The pressure of the steel against his neck grew lighter. "Turn and face me."

Daine carefully did so. The man had his hood up, hiding all his features, so Daine took the opportunity to glance at the weapon the black cloaked man kept next to his neck instead. It was a black ring that had a white X in the center, which the man grasped it by. Daine guessed it was the handle, and that the entire ring was like a razor.

"Admiring my chakram?" he asked when he saw Daine eyeing it.

"Chakram?"

"Yeah. That's what these are called." He brought out another one of the chakrams that was identical to the first. "They're highly dangerous devices, even to the wielder. One wrong timing and you could get your arm cut off when it returns to you. It took me a long time to learn to trust my ability in them. Then again, I had quite a bit of free time to learn such things." He put away the new chakram, but left the other one out. "Now… this will be a simple enough procedure. I'm going to ask you a few questions. Answer me truthfully and perhaps I'll be inclined to spare you. If I suspect that I'm being lied to though… let's just say my good mood will be gone very quickly. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Then let's begin." The man brought his left hand, the one not holding his weapon, up to his hood and pulled it down.

Even without the chakram at his neck, Daine would have found himself paralyzed. He was a bit surprised by the man's somewhat spiked hair color, a dark blonde that was certainly not common. But his golden eyes were what stunned the teen. Even Ark's blood-red eyes had never intimidated him this much.

Then their intensity seemed to fade away. Even though they were still a very unusual shade of gold, they did not pierce into him as they had before.

"How about a few quick introductions? Tell me your name, and your friend's."

"I'm Daine, he's Ark. What about you?"

"I'll answer you this time, but remember that I am the questioner at the moment. Call me Kaden. Now, are you the one who is responsible for the Beginning of the End incident?"

Surprised by the question, Daine took a few moments to answer. "No."

Kaden blinked, and shook his head as though to clear it before locking his gaze onto Daine's eyes again. "You are not?"

"I did not cause that incident," Daine said. "I don't know why you would think I did either, unless it has something to do with this accursed pentagram."

"Pentagram? So that is the mark you have?"

"Yes."

"Show me."

Daine hesitated, and then drew off his right glove, showing Kaden the red pentagram.

"So it wasn't a complete lie…" Kaden murmured before continuing. "Since when have you had that?"

"Since birth," Daine answered, putting his glove on again.

"Do you know what it does?"

"No."

"What age are you?"

"Um…" It took all Daine had to not look away. _How am I supposed to answer that truthfully? Should I say sixteen, or thirty-six? Well, he said to answer truthfully. It would be best to give as accurate of an answer I can. I could lie, but something about him tells me that would not be a smart thing to do…_

"I'm technically thirty-six. I've been asleep for twenty years in a laboratory," Daine explained.

"Twenty years? Were you asleep when the incident occurred?"

"Yes."

Kaden sighed. "That explains a lot… so you have no connection with the incident at all?"

"None that I know of. I didn't even know what this incident was until a few days ago, when I met my friends, who explained what had occurred."

Kaden stared at him for what seemed like forever before unlocking his gaze and moving the chakram away from his neck. "Alright, you pass."

"What?"

"You spoke truthfully, and your answers satisfied me. So you won't die instantly. However…" He held up the chakram again, this time pointing it at Ark. "I can't let you escape that easily. I've waited for a long time to meet you, and I do not intend to pass up this chance. So here's what I have to offer. We'll duel, and the winner can decide the loser's fate. I assume we'll both choose killing though. If you refuse, I'll have no choice but to slay Ark. I'd prefer not to waste the life I have just saved, so I hope you will accept my challenge."

"What do you mean by wasting the life you saved?" Daine inquired.

"I happened to come across him in the river," Kaden explained. "How he got there is beyond me though. I pulled him out."

"Due to one of your pals, my friends and I fell off a bridge and into the river," Daine said, giving Kaden a cold look. "Why did you save Ark? To lure me into dueling?"

"Not originally, but when I discovered who he was, I decided it would be a good use for him." He looked over at Ark. "My apologies, but sometimes I have to do things that even I dislike."

"You must have known my name," Ark stated.

"I'm afraid I don't follow," Kaden said.

But Daine realized what Ark meant. "If you knew who Ark was by his appearance, you must have already known his name. You probably knew mine as well. Why did you ask me for our names when you already knew them?"

"You could call it a warm up for the actual questioning," Kaden replied. "That and I wanted to confirm my suspicions anyway. Now, do you accept my challenge or not Daine? I assume you will, since you seem to be the type who cares for your friends."

"You do not have to accept," Ark said to Daine. "No matter what he does, I will be fine."

Daine shook his head. "No. You're already in enough pain; I can't let him add to it. Just hold on for a bit longer."

After a few seconds of struggle, Ark managed to pull himself into a kneeling position. "Very well. Do as you must…"

Daine turned on his Duel Disk and chose his Deck Master. "Retrained Elven Swordsman. What's your choice?"

A female humanoid monster appeared at Kaden's side. She wore a pale red top, along with dark red armor that covered her shoulders and her chest, and another matching piece of armor around her waist. She had an elegant white skirt, along with white boots that went up to her knees. Her gloves, which went up to her elbows, matched her boots. She also had a red helmet that covered the top of her head, with a green jewel in the center of it, and two white wing-like devices coming from the sides of it. At her throat was another green jewel that was identical to the one in her helmet. Her wavy purple hair went below her shoulder blades, and her eyes were a beautiful dark blue. The most interesting feature was the two white wings that emerged from her back though.

"Dunamis Valkyria," Kaden said, looking over at her. He seemed to be about to say something, but after a moment simply stated, "Are you ready to start?"

"Any time."

Daine: 8000

Kaden: 8000

Kaden took out a coin from his Duel Disk and flipped it. "Call it."

Daine shrugged. "Heads."

"Nope, it's tails, so I'll go first. I lay one monster in defense mode and one card face down. That's it."

"I'll start off by going on the offensive!" Daine said. "I summon Blade Knight (1600/1000) and attack your defense monster!"

"That wasn't a good monster to begin attacking with," Kaden stated. "You revealed my Kelbek. (1500/1800) Any monster that attacks Kelbek is sent back to the owner's hand, so your Blade Knight is back in your hand."

Daine: 7800

Kaden: 8000

"So much for that idea," Daine sighed as he placed Blade Knight back in his hand. "I lay two cards of my own face down and end my turn."

"I don't like the looks of those cards at all," Kaden said. "At least getting rid of one is better than none. I will use Cyclone to destroy the card to your left."

"My Tidal Wave is gone…"

"All the better for me. Now I activate a field magic card, Sanctuary of the Sky!"

Suddenly, they found themselves to no longer be in the dark woods. Instead, they were surrounded by clouds, with a large white temple on the field.

"This field makes it so that any damage I take from an Angel being in battle is reduced to zero," Kaden explained.

Daine looked at the Kelbek. "You run an Angel Sub-Type deck? That doesn't seem very fitting."

"Why would you say that?" Kaden asked.

"Well, your group always seems to be associated with something dark… but Angels are the complete opposite of that!"

"I guess you have a point there," Kaden shrugged. "I never really gave that much thought though. I run Angels for a specific reason. It is to remember the ones I have lost."

"What do you mean?" Daine asked.

Kaden hesitated for a moment, and then spoke. "My parents were killed in the Beginning of the End incident. I was only five then, but I can remember them pretty well. Mother was very gentle and kind, and father had strong morals that I admired. Even though I did not know them for very long, they left strong impressions in my mind."

"You were alive when the incident happened? How did you survive?" Ark inquired.

"I have no idea, to be honest," Kaden replied. "I never even got to see my parents die… all that remained when I returned to our home was ash." He shook his head. "That sight… it affected me deeply. I didn't want anyone else to die in this manner. That's why I've joined up with this group known as The Defenders."

"The Defenders? That's not a very accurate name, since they're always attacking us," Daine stated.

"They call themselves that because they are trying to defend the world from another slaughter like the one that occurred twenty years ago. I didn't really care for the group itself, but they had the same goal in the end that I had. So I joined to see if I could eliminate the one who caused the incident."

"Then why do they continue to attack me?" Daine asked.

"I've already given away too much information," Kaden said. "If you want to learn more, you'll have to defeat me first. So I suggest continuing this duel. I sacrifice Kelbek to summon Agent of Judgment, Saturn! (2400/0) He attacks you directly!"

Daine: 5400

Kaden: 8000

"I lay one card down, and end my turn."

Daine looked at the card that he had drawn. "I play Angel's Gift. This allows me to draw three cards, and then discard two. Perfect! I discard Command Knight and Blade Knight. I summon Surprising Matasa. (1300/800) Then I equip him with The Fused Sword, Murasame Blade, which raises his attack by 800!" (2100/800)

"He's still not strong enough to destroy Saturn," Kaden pointed out.

"He will be, once I activate my trap card, Cry of the Living Dead! This brings back my Command Knight in attack mode. She raises all of my Warrior Sub-Types' attack by 400, so now Matasa is just barely able to defeat Saturn. (2500/800) (1600/1900) Matasa attacks Saturn!"

"Sorry to interrupt your plans, but I would prefer to keep Saturn alive," Kaden stated. "I activate my trap card, Drain Shield! It negates your attack and increases my Life Points by how strong your attack was."

Daine: 5400

Kaden: 10500

"You may have raised your Life Points, but if your main goal was to protect Saturn, you still failed!" Daine said. "Matasa attacks again!"

"What?" was all Kaden managed to say before the Matasa sped forward and sliced apart Saturn.

"Matasa has the ability to attack twice during each Battle Phase," Daine explained. "It looks like you didn't take any damage from that attack due to Sanctuary. But I still have Command Knight, and I'll have her attack directly!"

Daine: 5400

Kaden: 8900

"Not a good situation for me, is it?" Kaden commented. "Luckily, I have just drawn something that should put a stop to your tactics. I summon Agent of Power, Mars!" (0/0)

"How will that help you?" Daine asked.

"His effect states that when I have Sanctuary of the Sky on the field, and if my Life Points exceed yours, then his stats are increased by the difference of our Life Points." (3500/3500)

"Ugh. Just what I needed," Daine sighed.

"Now Mars attacks Matasa!"

The Matasa held up his sword in a defensive position as Mars blasted him with an orb of light. As the blinding light vanished, they were able to see that Matasa was still there.

"I activated my Deck Master's special ability," Daine explained. "I choose one of my Warrior Sub-Types, and for that turn they cannot be destroyed in battle by monsters with 1900 attack or more. Unfortunately, I still lose Life Points for it…"

Daine: 4400

Kaden: 8900

"Annoying. I'll find a way around that though," Kaden said. "At least Mars' stats increased, due to you losing Life Points. (4500/4500) It's your turn."

Daine shook his head. "Nothing I can do yet… I switch Matasa and Command Knight to defense mode, and end my turn."

"Hm… one card face down, that's it."

"Now we're getting somewhere…" Daine said. "I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"I'll summon Zolga. (1700/1200) Then I activate my trap card, Ceasefire Treaty. It reveals all face down monsters, and deals 500 damage to your Life Points for every effect monster on the field."

"Argh… you revealed my Twilight Zone Warrior. (1200/1000) I have three effect monsters, and you have two… so I take 2500 damage…"

Daine: 1900

Kaden: 8900

"If only you had a monster in attack mode, then Mars could easily destroy you. (7000/7000) Ah well, at least I can take out your Twilight Zone Warrior. First, I have Mars attack Matasa. Do you activate your Deck Master's ability?"

"Yes. So Matasa lives."

"Then you won't be able to use it to save your Twilight Zone Warrior. Zolga attacks it."

"Not the wisest choice," Daine stated. "When Twilight Zone Warrior is attacked, it removes itself and the monster that attacked it from the game."

"Oh well. I didn't have much use for Zolga at the moment anyway. It's your turn."

Daine looked at his new card. "Excellent. I activate Theft! I'll equip it to Mars, so now he's under my control."

"Afraid not," Kaden said. "As long as Sanctuary is on the field, Mars is not affected by magic effects."

"Dang it… I end my turn… and on your standby phase, you receive 1000 Life Points for Theft."

Daine: 1900

Kaden: 9900

"All the better for me… and Mars, for that matter. (8000/8000) I'll have to pass though."

Daine nervously drew, and sighed with relief as he saw what his card was. "I'll activate my own Cyclone on Sanctuary of the Sky, destroying it!" The field vanished, leaving them back in the dark woods. "That means Mars comes to my side of the field now, due to Theft."

"But with his base stats, since Sanctuary was destroyed," Kaden pointed out. (0/0) He looked somewhat tense though, probably due to the situation he was now in.

"I still have a use for him," Daine said. "I sacrifice him to summon Warrior of the Sun! (2500/1400) Then I switch Matasa and Command Knight to attack mode. Command Knight and Warrior of the Sun attacks! Then Matasa attacks twice! After that, it's your turn."

Daine: 1900

Kaden: 800

"That right there displays the flaw of my deck," Kaden stated. "If Sanctuary is destroyed, it falls apart very quickly. But I'm not done yet. I play Jar of Greed to draw two cards. Well, it looks like I've been saved. I play Terra Forming. This magic card lets me get a field magic card from my hand and put it into my hand. I'll get another Sanctuary of the Sky and play it." Once more, they were in the bright sky. "Now I summon Warrior of Zera! (1600/1600) Then I sacrifice it to special summon Archangel Zeraato!" (2800/2300)

Daine watched the angel appear nervously. "How were you able to special summon it?"

"It's his effect. I can't normal summon him, but I can special summon him by having a Sanctuary of the Sky out and by sacrificing a Warrior of Zera. Zeraato attacks your Matasa!"

"I'll keep him from being destroyed with my Deck Master's ability," Daine stated as a lightning bolt crashed into the defending Matasa.

Daine: 1600

Kaden: 800

"That effect is getting very annoying… I end my turn."

"I switch all my monsters to defense mode, and end my turn," Daine said.

"Not much else you can do, by the looks of it. I lay one card down and end my turn."

"Actually, I can do something, and now I will!" Daine declared. "I switch my Matasa to attack mode, and equip him with Thunder Sword! This raises his attack by 800. (3300/800) Matasa attacks Zeraato!"

"I'll activate my trap card, Emissary of Harmony," Kaden said. "This causes your attack to do zero damage, so Zeraato lives. Anything else?"

"No, I'm done."

"Good, because I now have a way to get rid of your Matasa," Kaden said. "I summon another Kelbek. (1500/1800) Then I activate my Deck Master's ability. By sacrificing a monster, I can increase another one of my monster's attack by the amount that the sacrificed creature had. I offer Kelbek and increase Zeraato's attack by 1500. (4300/2300) I can only use this effect once, but it's well worth it. Now Zeraato attacks Matasa."

"Once again, I'll keep him alive via my Deck Master's ability…" Daine said, watching his Life Point counter drop. _That effect seems similar to Zarek's Deck Master's ability. They both focus on sacrificing a monster to power up another by the amount of the offered one's attack points. The only difference is their drawbacks, really…_

Daine: 600

Kaden: 800

"That's all for me."

Daine looked at his hand, but saw nothing that could help. "I lay one card face down, and switch Matasa to defense mode. It's your turn."

"I finally drew what I've been waiting for," Kaden said. "Now I can activate Zeraato's effect! By discarding one Light Main-Type monster from my hand-in this case, a Marshmallon-all of the monsters on your field are destroyed."

"Not good at all…" Daine muttered as his monsters were hit with lightning bolts from the sky.

"Now Zeraato attacks directly!"

"I counter with Attack Nullification!" Daine said. "This negates your attack and ends your battle phase."

"Alright, I end my turn."

"My only chance of winning lies in what I draw next…" Daine said, looking at his next card. "Thankfully, it's just what I needed. I play Calling Reinforcements! This magic card lets me get one level four or lower Warrior Sub-Type from my deck and add it to my hand. Then I summon Troop Commander! (1200/400) His effect lets me special summon a level four or lower monster when he is summoned, so I call forth Initiate Troops! (1000/1000) Then I activate Initiate Troops' effect! By sacrificing them, I choose a monster on the field to destroy. So Zeraato is now gone. Then Troop Commander attacks directly for the win!"

Daine: 600

Kaden: 0

"Looks like you've won," Kaden stated, shutting off his Duel Disk. "Congratulations. So what do you want my fate to be?"

"Huh?"

"The conditions were that the winner would decide what would happen to the loser," Kaden reminded him. "Do you want me to die?"

Daine wasn't sure he liked the thought of having someone's life in his hands. He thought for a moment, and then shook his head. "No. There's something that sets you aside from the others that have been pursuing me. I'm not sure what… but I feel as though you can be trusted. My conditions are that you do not try to combat any of us again."

Kaden seemed a bit surprised by this. "That's it? That's the only reason you have for not killing me?"

"Why waste lives in times like this?" Daine said. "If you're honorable, then there should be no reason for slaying you."

Kaden considered this, and then smiled. _Sounds like something father would have said…_ "It looks like there are some decent people still in this world. Maybe I should have searched for a bit longer before I concluded that there were none that I could find."

"That means you will agree to my terms?" Daine asked.

"I'll do better than that," Kaden said. "Now that I know that you are not responsible for the incident, I will leave The Defenders."

"I don't understand. Why do you believe what I said so strongly?" Daine inquired.

Kaden looked awkward at being asked that. "Give me a second to put this into words…"

Daine nodded, and then went over to Ark, kneeling behind him and beginning to undo the ropes binding him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Ark replied as he grasped his wrists to get the circulation going. "You played well."

Daine was somewhat surprised by the unexpected compliment, but said, "Thanks." Then he got up, as did Ark shortly afterwards. "Kaden, are you ready to explain?"

Kaden shrugged. "I'll try my best. Ok, all of The Defenders have a type of power. Like, one of the ones called Regus has the ability to read minds."

"He was killed a few days ago," Daine stated. "We dueled, and since we were playing without shields…"

Kaden blinked. "Well, go figure. That's what I get for slacking off-I miss all the important news. Can't say I'm mourning for him though. I never really liked any of The Defenders I met. Anyway, as you might have guessed, that means I have a special power too. I have the ability to tell whether someone is telling the truth or not."

"That explains completely," Daine commented. "You could tell I was speaking truthfully about everything."

"Yes, that's right. I can usually tell whether someone is being honest or lying just by hearing them speak, but looking into their eyes helps. I don't know why I am able to do this, but it is an ability I have had for a long time, if not ever since I was born." Kaden paused, and then went on. "When I was speaking with the head of The Defenders, I felt as though he was hiding something. He wasn't lying outright, but I still felt suspicious about him. That's why I decided to ask you those questions, before killing your outright. Now I'm glad I did."

"And you'll turn against them now?" Daine asked.

"Yes. I never trusted them completely, and this about destroys any I had left for them. I'm on your side now."

"You can sever your connections with them that easily?" Ark inquired.

"Well, I could just abandon them right now… or I could pretend to still be serving them, and thus get you some more information about them. It's your call."

"Wouldn't they get suspicious if you try any kind of spying ideas?" Daine questioned.

"Probably not. They think of me as someone who never follows instructions very well," Kaden explained. "I'm usually late to get to where I need to be, and such. Thus, they never really try to depend on me unless necessary. Due to the fact that I haven't done much for The Defenders, my ranking is very low. I can still get some good details for you and your companions though, if you wish."

"I'm still worried about you being caught doing that though," Daine said. "Are you sure about trying that?"

"I'd be fine with it. However, they would wonder what is going on if I came to the location I'm supposed to be at this early," Kaden told them. "I should wait until they phone me. They're used to having to do that to get me to arrive in my proper area."

"Alright then. Why don't you travel with us until they call you?" Daine suggested. "It would be good if you also met our other friends… if they lived, that is…" Daine shook his head. "I have no idea what happened to them. It doesn't sound like you got to look around before Kaden found you, Ark."

"Correct," Ark replied.

"Then we should search for them," Daine said. "We can only hope they made it…"

"I think we had better get some rest before attempting that," Kaden stated. "It's been a long night for all of us."

"Yeah. Alright, we'll remain here until morning," Daine decided. "Who should watch first?"

"Let me. I'm not tired yet," Kaden said. "I'll wake up one of you when I'm done."

"Thanks. Good night then," Daine said, going over to a tree and laying down nearby it. He fell asleep swiftly, as did Ark, who lay beside a nearby tree.

Kaden climbed up the tree near Daine and sat on some of the sturdier branches to keep a look out. As he watched the silent forest, he thought over what had occurred.

_Everything has changed so quickly. But I never felt right being with The Defenders. This seems like a group of people I actually want to help, though. Amazing what a little motivation to the right cause can do for you._ He looked through the foliage towards the stars. _Wonder what my parents would think of the way I spent my life… Well, no use dwelling on the past when I should be concerned with the present._

With that thought settled, he leaned back against the tree trunk to enjoy the cool night while waiting for his shift to end.

To be continued…


End file.
